Star Wars Kill Mason Kell
by jman007
Summary: Mason Kell a young powerful sith lord unaware of his true origins or that his very existance is purposed for the task of defeating an empire that was not meant to exist... along his journey he finds love only to have it violently stripped from him
1. Chapter 1

Star Wars

Kill Mason Kell

Chapters

Mason Kell

The Legend of the Black Hand

Troubled Mind

Massacre

Love at First Sight

Change of Heart

Secret Revealed

Escape

On The Run

Friend or Foe

Confessions of a Sith

The Republic Strikes Back

The Wrath of Lord Kavos

A New Life

Friendship

Heartache

Dark Rage

Enlightenment

The Jedi and the Sith

Champions of Justice

Fall of an Empire

Jedi Master Mason Kell

Epilogue

The Brotherhood of Darkness

Persona

Mason Kell (AKA The Black Hand human-Sith Knight/Turned Jedi)

Siella Novel (Human Republic Citizen/Mason Kell's love interest)

Gallad Fess (Jedi Master-Human)

Lord Kovas (Human High Sith Lord/Reigning Emperor of the Sith Empire)

Admiral Dawenn Ti'sin (Falleen Male Supreme Commander of the Republic Fleet)

Argok the Hutt (Crime Lord/Sith Enforcer for the Trayus Academy)

Desson Cy (Human Sith Apprentice)

Shardell (Female Falleen/Last surviving sith)

Sarad (Only child of High Lord Kovas and Lady Desella

I was going for kill bill type star wars story bloody and vengeful anyway enjoy the read and as always I would like some reviewsChapter 1. Mason Kell

His name was Mason Kell and he was born in the sith empire. Early on his parents recognized his force talent and tried to hide him from the sith, but when the current sith regime was trying to fill it's ranks with as many Dark Siders as possible such a thing was impossible. Mason was seven years old when they came for him, his parents were murdered before his eyes to inflame his hate, anger, and rage. He was taken to the Mariluka sith Academy the one built by Darth Caos and Darth Shenron.

Mason immediately became a favorite of the sith masters, they drilled the sith code and sith philosophy into his skull. They nurtured his passions and his hatred against the Jedi. His skills and prowess with a blade became legendary among the students of the academy. His power over the dark side grew by leaps and bounds. During an intense training session away from the academy, Mason killed his master and the five other apprentices he was studying with. He was punished severely and placed in solitary confinement for the next six months.

When Mason was released he was taken to the sith thrown world of Vash where Lord Kovas and the other masters took up his training. Some began to whisper that he was the legendary Sithari of prophecy, but he personally put no stock in prophecies. Under the tutelage of the sith lords Mason became known as the black hand.

Now nineteen years old from the planet Sathros, he was ready for battle and the war. His hair was black, his eyes was green but at the moment they were yellow. The color of someone deeply rooted in the dark side of the force. He was six feet tall and had a slender build like a runner. Mason was clean shaven and he wore a heavy black leather robe with black blaster armor covering his chest. His knee high boots were fresh off the shelves of the quartermaster. Mason had his curved handled lightsaber since he built it at the age of eleven. He was also armed with two curved vibro-swords crossing his back.

His face was set like stone as he looked around the drop ship at the sith commandoes with him. Some of them hardened veterans, while the others were fresh from the training camps on Yavin Two.

The sith empire was winning the war and now they were taking their first republic world. The world of Onderon was under siege and both the Onderon defense fleet and the republic fleet division had been defeated. Now the invasion forces would set down on the planet surface and take the city of Isis. Mason could feel the Jedi down on the surface, someone was using the legendary force technique known as battle meditation to influence the battle, but that didn't matter Lord Kovas was leading the battle and his skill with battle meditation was just as good as any Jedi if not greater.

"Remember your training…" Mason ignored the words of the sith Master in command of this assault force. He wished he was fighting along side Master Xar'lem a Devarian. The sith master was one of the sith masters who took up his training when he went to Vash. They worked well together. "The force is with us… This planet is ours!"

As they shouted the drop ship was buffeted by turbulence all ships experienced when entering the atmosphere of a planet. Mason was about to unbuckle his restraints when his force senses told him not too. He could feel the approach of the ground to air missile, the ship was under cloak, but somehow the missile was able to track and lock on to the ship. Mason gasped as he realized that the missile was being guided by the force via a Jedi.

He ignored the sith master ordering him to get ready and when the master grabbed him in the force he broke the hold and threw him across the floor of the drop ship. A few of the apprentices took the hint and quickly got back in their restraints. As some of the soldiers followed suit the ship was hit broadside. The explosion tore a hole in the side of the ship and sent several dozen troops tumbling through the atmosphere. While others died in the explosion, Mason and two other apprentices had the sense to throw up a force barrier for protection.

Mason survived the crash along with eight others; two apprentices and six commandoes. Mason's eardrum had burst and he had dislocated a finger. He would have been in worse condition if he had not put up the force barrier. The transport carried two brigades, fifteen apprentices, and one master. Mason crawled out of the wreckage and stretched, feeding off the pain of his injuries.

"I sense a strike force not to far from her… maybe a mile and a half…" These words came from a Falleen apprentice named Shardell.

He looked at her, ignoring the pheromones emanating from her body. "I sense it as well, but they are under attack… we will have to hurry if we wish to save them…"

"What do we do now…" A soldier asked joining the two sith. Mason and Shardell looked at each other trying to decide whether or not to kill him. They decided not too with a glance after all the Sith admired strength and it took a lot of steel to question the sith even if they were just apprentices. "We are sith… We adapt and survive…" Mason said. "Listen up there is an entire brigade about a mile and a half from us, but they are under attack… we are going to help…"

Mason pointed at the soldier who questioned them, "You assume command of those men. Salvage what you can from the transport we move out in ten minutes…"

He saluted, "Yes sir…" It took less than ten minutes to salvage grenades, thermo detonators, mouse droids, med packs, and three hover sleds. When they were ready Mason, Shardell, the sith apprentice Qwar a Rodian male, and the six remaining commandoes headed northeast.

The sith force of three hundred troops were trapped against the side of a mountain. The only thing keeping them in the fight was their shield generators and they were taking a pounding from the air and land. The sith force was outnumbered three to one as they were hit from the air by beast riders on their draxyl. On the ground hover tanks, battle droids, and republic commandoes pounded the sith.

Mason and his small band knelt on a ridge overlooking the battle as it unfolded.

"I sense Jedi…" Mason said.

"So do I…" Shardell replied.

["They are in the air as well…"] Qwar said. ["…I sense at least one in the air on those Draxyl… A master…"]

"Right…" He turned to Shardell. "Shardell shield us from the Jedi… If we can sense them then they can sense us…" Shardell had the unique ability to scramble the senses of other force users. "Right Tymen have four of your men take up sniper positions, but stay mobile… Then have Victor take his plasma launcher and take down those tanks… Qwar you and Shardell stay on the ground and flank them from behind… Go for the Jedi first… I will take down the air riders…"

"Don't attack until we signal you…" Shardell said.

["Yes and tell the snipers to take out the officers from highest rank and work their way down…"] Qwar said.

The group broke up leaving Mason alone he used his force cloak to hide in plain sight. The technique involved bending the light around the body to become invisible. Once he was hidden Mason stretched out with his mind and took control of one of the draxyl in the air. The creature ignored its rider and swooped down to the cliff. As it passed by Mason jumped on its back and killed the rider with his left vibro-sword. As the creature rose into the air Mason became visible and that is when the Jedi along with seven other riders charged him. He sheathed his sword and extended his hands unleashing a storm of force lightening on the draxyls. The creatures and their riders screamed in pain as they were cooked alive by the torrent of power. The Jedi was able to protect himself but his draxyl died and plummeted out of the sky. The Jedi used the air around him as he leapt out of the saddle and flew towards Mason. Mason ignited his lightsaber and as they passed each other Mason decapitated the Jedi. He grinned at his first kill against a Jedi. The right of passage for any sith is taking the life of their eternal enemies the Jedi. He couldn't celebrate long he still had the beast riders to tend with. He switched off his lightsaber and unsheathed both his swords. The first draxyl that fell lost its left wing to Mason. The second and third were stabbed in the hearts when Mason threw both blades into their chests. He used force lightening on the rest then he began dropping thermal detonators on the republic forces.

Qwar was dead, killed by a Jedi Master wielding two lightsabers and Shardell was doing her best against the Jedi. She was holding her own when it came to lightsaber combat, but the Jedi's force abilities were far beyond her own. The only reason she wasn't dead is because of the Jedi's self delusions of the force to be used for knowledge and defense. If she had the power Shardell thought to herself she would have ended this fight long ago. She tried to force push him, but her attack just faded against his barrier. The master Jedi wrenched her lightsaber from her hand and kicked her in the throat. Shardell fell backwards gagging and coughing, she looked up as the Jedi stood over her pointing his sabers into her face. He raised the right to strike, but Mason swooped down on his Draxyl. The Jedi ducked and as he did Shardell summoned her saber to her hand and cut the masters hands off. She leapt off her back and jumped into the air decapitating the Jedi Master. She saluted Mason who remained in the air giving air cover for the sith.

The battle lasted another hour and it was over. The fight ended with Mason using force lightening on the remaining republic soldiers.

"That was a good fight…" Shardell said as Mason walked pass her.

"Who is in charge here?" Mason barked.

"I am…" A human man yelled with the rank of colonel. "Colonel Wekins of the One nineteen…"

"What was your mission…" Mason asked as the rest of his group joined the gathered sith.

"We were to take the west gate, but then we were ambushed…"

"Our unit was shot down we were to go after the city generator…"

"I recommend that we go back to forward command or we contact them for further instructions…"

Mason shook his head, "I would rather carry on with our missions…"

"Begging your pardon my lord, but the sith are getting pounded on all fronts on this planet… Now I say…"

"I say we carry on… Knowing Lord Kovas the way I do he will want to keep fighting…"

"But…"

The words stopped in his mouth as Mason force choked him, when he went to his knees Mason released him. "I am ordering you colonel to carry on with the mission…" Despite his rank sith force users could issue commands to military personnel no matter what their rank. They were even obliged to obey sithlings.

He kept his eyes to the ground, "Can I at least contact command…"

"No we need to maintain com silence… Now move out!"

Forward Command Position:

Ten miles from the main entrance to the city of Isis:

Hundreds of sith lords and high ranking military commanders stood at attention as the personal drop ship of the Emperor and High Sith Lord Kovas Naison landed in a large clearing. As he descended the ramp he was flanked by his apprentice Cell, his wife and second in command Desella Naison. Many of the sith referred to her as the dark lady. Both of them were the pinnacles of power and strength for the sith. Kovas was of the order of Darth Shenron and Desella was of the order of Darth Kraven who was once a Jedi named Ynarr Ki Lazz. The two orders had been at war but Kovas and Desella fell in love and she killed her master, father, and lord of the sith academy on Yavin Four. Kovas overthrew his former master in an epic duel.

"Welcome to Onderon high lord…" This greeting came from Sith Master Kaban.

"Your welcome may be short one Master Kaban… especially if we can't capture this planet within the next three hours…"

"Our scout drones report a second Republic fleet gathering near Orus Prime…" Lady Desella said. "…This may have been a trap but we can still pull a victory…"

"My lord if we pull Harpy fleet from Geonosis we can hold the system no matter what the republic sends against us…"

"I am not going to start cannibalizing my territory fleets Master Choar… We need to hold the systems we have taken…"

They all gathered around the holo-map, "The fleet won't be able to hold the system if we can't take the planet…"

"Yes we need to be in control of the planet within the next three hours…" Kovas looked at his underlings, "…We are sith and there will be no retreat! Now give me the position of all ground units and have them report in…"

As the com officer carried out Kovas' orders Master Xar'lem stepped forward. "There is no response from the one nineteen or Master Murk's assault force…" The com officer said.

"The shuttle was shot down…" Byngall, Kovas' apprentice said. When he said this Desella smiled, because she hated Mason Kell.

"Young Mason is not dead… He is alive and so is Shardell…"

"If they live then why don't they respond…" Desella asked in anger.

"Young Mason will not fail us… he will finish the mission…"

Kovas looked at Xar'lem, "You place a lot of faith in the young apprentice…"

"We trained him my lord… He will find a way or die in the attempt…"

"Reinforce all forward positions… We will wait and see what young Mason does…" Kovas entered his battle meditation after observing the battle field.

Mason's forces were in position and ready to attack the west gate, but before giving the order he overlooked the holo-map. All forward positions were receiving reinforcements except for his because they were under com silence. Sensing the Jedi Mason ordered his troops to remain hidden until he gave the signal. Mason broke out into a run as he used his force cloak. When he neared the wall he ran up the side of the one hundred foot wall and leapt. As he was coming down he became visible igniting his saber he cut a soldier in half, then he force pushed thirteen republic commandoes off the wall five lightsabers sprang to life, three in front and two behind.

"He is just a sith apprentice… I can handle him alone…" A female Twi'lek arrogantly said.

"No wait…" The ranking Jedi cried but it was too late. Mason grabbed her in the force and crushed every bone in her body.

"Like all Jedi your arrogance blinds you…" Mason said.

"We must fight together…" The lead Jedi barked. They all charged Mason at the same time, but Mason unleashed a force wave that threw three of the four Jedi down. One of the Jedi was thrown over the side of the wall, but he stabbed his lightsaber into the wall and held on. The other two hit the floor of the wall precipice. The lead Jedi was strong enough to withstand the wave, he attacked with an overhead strike. Mason blocked, parried, and twirled his blade from side to side, switching from one form to the next. He kicked the Jedi in the chest, but he went into a role and came up on his knees. Mason managed to wrench his opponent's lightsaber from his hand, he was about to finish the Jedi off, but the third Jedi a human male tried to attack him from behind with a drop kick. Mason sensed his attack, fell to his back sticking his leg up, and caught the man in between his legs. He jumped off his back onto his legs just as the lead Jedi had summoned his lightsaber to his hand.

He force pushed Mason into the female Gun gun, who was behind him. Mason rolled onto his back and came up on his knees, stabbing his saber back up over his head. He spun around up onto his feet grabbing the Gun gun by her collar and throwing her off the wall. The forth Jedi attacked, but Mason bent forward at the waist and cut the Jedi in half at his waist. He spun around for the third time to face the two remaining Jedi, his fighting stance had his left pointed out and his sword hand holding the energy blade backwards and away from his body.

"Your skill is impressive sith… If only you would apply that power to the light of the force…"

"The dark side is greater than you know fool… Join us or face oblivion…" Mason arrogantly replied.

"There is no death… there is only the force…" He replied reciting the last lines of the Jedi Code.

The lead Jedi stood strait and tall holding his blade close to his body, the other Jedi mimicked his leader's move. Mason sneered at the both of them and cut them down. When his blade struck all that was left of both Jedi was their clothes. Mason switched off his lightsaber, extended both his hands to the sides of the wall electrifying the precipice and killing all the soldiers manning the wall guns.

"Colonel it is time to attack…" Mason said into his wrist com. He leapt off the wall and used the force to rip the gates off their track. The sith commandoes stood in awe of the display of power.

"My lord… I have been monitoring transmissions… Lord Kovas has sent out reinforcements to all forward positions, but ours…"

"Probably because they don't know where we are…" Shardell said.

"What is your point colonel?"

"My point is that if we let command know where we are they will send us some support…"

It happened so fast all Commander Tymen saw was the colonel's head fall to the ground and Mason hooking his saber to his belt. "I hate whiners… Tymen you are in command now…"

He saluted, "Yes sir…"

"Set fire to these buildings and streets I want to force the republic troops into a bottle neck when they retaliate…"

"Yes sir…"

As Tymen carried out Mason's orders he turned his attention to Shardell, "Don't you have a shield generator to tale down…"

"Yes…" she signaled her assault force, but stopped to look back at Mason, "You will make a fine sith lord…"

He nodded to her as she left the west entrance for the power generator. Mason's plan was to make a bloody stand at the west gate so that the Jedi would have to refocus their defenses. If he could get them to redirect enough of their troops that will give the other fronts the momentum they need to push forward. Setting fire to certain buildings would allow him to do just that and the smoke would hinder any air support from the beast riders.

In the first counterattack on Mason's position the republic lost over half the force sent against the sith. Mason lost fifteen men to the blaster battle, he had taken the front lines against the republic onderon commandoes and killed two hundred and thirteen men using his vibro-swords. He sat on a turned over hover tank cleaning his swords as the sith soldiers came up and saluted him.

"What is the story Commander…" He asked sheathing his blades.

"Three wounded and fifteen dead… Med droids are tending to the wounded… COM is picking a tank unit heading this way along with some thirty Onderonian walkers…"

"I want you to have the field techs gather all the shield generators we have and hook them up together… everything commander from the personal shield generators to the hover sled shields… layer the shields on top of one another…"

"I obey my lord, but if I may ask why don't we advance…"

"I have my reasons commander… One of them being is that we are facing Jedi in this battle and the best offence is a good defence… I want the republic to come to us…" Ten minutes later Mason's forces were fighting again and it was his over lapping shield that kept them in the battle against the hover tanks and walkers. Within forty minutes they had scrapped over fifty hover tanks and twenty walkers.

Palace of Isis War Room:

The King of Onderon was in the war room with his military commanders, Republic commanders, and the five Jedi Masters watching the ground holo-maps of the battle as it unfolded. The king zoomed in on the west gate.

"The west gate has been breached master Jedi and the tank units you sent to retake the gate have been decimated…"

"Confirmed sir…" The COM officer said. "…No survivors."

The Master Jedi was a female Barabel, she looked at the senior Jedi on their mission. A human by the name of Gallad Fess, was deep in his battle meditation influencing the battle.

She sighed, "Right then…" She looked at Master Dou'xam a male Ikotchi, "…Master Dou'xam would lead a team of Jedi Knightz and commandoez to retake the west gate…"

"By the force those sith will die or we will…"

"Lets hope they die Master Jedi…" The King said.

The gathered leaders watched the holo-map as within thirty minutes Master Dou'xam and his team engaged the sith forces, at first the batlle was in favor of Dou'xam and his men, but things changed when a sith apprentice joined the fight. The Jedi was spread throughout the fight at the front of the battle so they weren't able to help each other. Dou'xam was the first to fall to the sith's lightsaber, ten minutes later a second Jedi fell to his force lightening. The last two Jedi fought together but eventually the sith apprentice stabbed one and decapitated another. Master Dou'xam's forces were still fighting, but they were slowly being pushed back towards the city.

"This sith is strong… he haz killed Master Dou'xam…"

"I am rerouting more troops to the west gate…" General Othman said.

"Look the sith are pulling back to the gate…"

They watched as the reinforcements arrived and with what remained of Dou'xam's forces they attacked the sith. Many sith fell, but in the end it was the sith that held their position at the gate.

"If this keeps up they will storm the city and we need the reserves to hold the palace." The King declared.

"Thiz one will take down this grunt…" That is when the city generator was blown up.

"THE GENERATOR HAS BEEN BREACHED!" Someone yelled over the com then there was static as the emergency generators came on.

The sith empire was burning and falling apart the high sith lord was battling two force users. With lightening speed the warrior dressed in black decapitated the high sith lord. The first man removed his hood and underneath was Gallad Fess. He looked at himself and smiled as the first man removed his hood. It was a young man with a saddened look on his face. He removed his sith robes to put on the robes of a Jedi Master. Then both Mason Kell and Gallad Fess looked at Gallad and pointed. When Gallad turned to look, he saw the west gate of Isis palace.

Sardell the Barabel Master was about to leave when the gentle hand of Master Gallad touched her on the soldier. He was still using his battle meditation as he walked around the room. "Do not go I will take care of this sith… His power is like nothing I ever sensed before…"

"Thiz one should accompany you…"

"No Master Sardell… You should stay here and help protect the king… I will return shortly…" As Gallan left the war room, he went over the visions he had just seen in his mind. The force was telling him to go to the west gate.

"My lord I sense that young Kell is in danger…" Xar'lem said walking up to him.

"Go if you must…" Twenty minutes after he left Kovas received a vision of Xar'lem dying and he decided to go as well.

Because of Mason's efforts the tide of the battle was slowly changing despite the fact that Gallad was still using his battle meditation. They had routed the Republic/Onderon forces for the fifth time when Shardell returned.

"Mission accomplished, but my entire squad was killed and I lost my lightsaber…"

Mason reached under his robe and removed one of the Jedi's lightsabers. "Here use this until you can build a new one…"

She gasped when she saw all the lightsabers hanging from his belt, "You have been busy…"

"Yes and now I need you to take these men and head for the east gate…" There were flames raging all around them.

"What about you?"

"I will be fine…"

Mason started pacing back and forth allowing his rage, blood lust, anger, and hatred to build. He was about to face a Jedi Master and not just any master. The legendary Gallad Fess who single handedly destroyed the academy on Dathomir. As Fess rounded the corner Mason extended both his hands and threw force lightening at the Jedi Master but he blocked it with his hands.

"Come to join your comrades in death Jedi..." Mason arrogantly said.

Gallad smiled; "I don't think the force means for either of us to die this day…"

"Oh you are wrong Master Jedi… One of us will die today…"

Mason ignited his lightsaber and charged Gallad who blocked low then high to the right. He spun around and parried with a high thrust, but Mason caught the attack with his blade pushing his opponents blade in a circle. After the third circuit Mason ducked and tried to gut Gallan, but he jumped into the air and flipped over Mason's head. They both tucked their sabers underneath their arms at the same time in an attempt to stab each other in the back, but their blades just glanced off each other. Mason and Gallan spun around at the same time swinging high at each other with one hand. Their blades locked and they threw out their free hands at each other using the force to push against one another. Mason gritted his teeth as with all his might he pushed in the force against the older Jedi.

"You are strong little sith… Imagine how much stronger you would be if you let go of your anger and hatred…"

With one hand Mason force pushed Gallad who was thrown eleven feet through a glass window into a burning building. He grabbed the building in the force and tore it down. Gallad was still alive because he phased his body and the falling debris passed through him.

"If you are going to fight Jedi… Then do so… Don't try and confuse me with your twisted words… True power of the force lies in the dark side…"

Gallad threw his hands out to the sides and sent the debris in all directions. "You carry a pain thrust onto you by the sith… You don't have to walk that path…"

Mason let out a cry and leapt from where he was standing to Gallad. Their swords met in mid air and that is when things started to change for Mason, he could no longer summon the force, his ability to hold onto his power suddenly dropped. Gallad smiled as Mason tried to throw lightening.

"What have you done to me…" Gallad wrenched his saber from his hand and swept Mason's legs from under him. When Mason looked up Gallad was pointing the blue energy blade of his lightsaber into his face. "Go ahead and finish it…"

"Bold words, but as I said the force does not mean for either of us to die today…"

They stared at each other for a few minutes then Gallad felt the approach of a sith lord. "Master Xar'lem we meet again…"

"Yes, we do…" The Devarian sith turned his attention to Mason, "Are you alright young Mason…"

"I am fine Master…"

"I had no intention of killing him… I was merely showing him the error of his ways… You are another story… I vowed you would pay for the death of Master Pavwu and pay you shall…"

"If only that fool could see you now and the kind of Jedi you have become… Strike me down with your hatred for that is the only thing that will stop me…"

Mason tried to help but he still could not access his dark side power; it felt as if he had been drugged with a neural toxin. He couldn't focus no matter what he tried.

He watched as his mentor faced the famous Jedi wielding a double edge lightsaber, which he turned into two weapons after nine moves. Gallad blocked right, stepped inside as Xar'lem attacked with his left. Gallad grabbed his left arm and head butted the Devarian. Not very smart Mason thought to himself, but Gallad had used the force in conjunction with his move. As Xar'lem stumbled backwards Gallad did a spin kick hitting Xar'lem in the face, but he spun to the ground and threw his left sword at Gallad. He rolled forward as the weapon spun towards him and stuck his saber up cutting the weapon in half. Now Xar'lem had only one and after fifteen moves he disarmed Gallad, but Gallad force punched Xar'lem in the gut then in the face. The blow took Xar'lem off his feet and onto his back, as he slid across the ground Xar'lem threw force lightening at Gallad who blocked it with his hands. With just a look Gallad ignited his lightsaber and sent it flying through the air.

"Master look out!" Mason yelled, but it was too late. The spinning saber severed both Xar'lem's hands in between the elbow and wrist. When the weapon returned to his hand, Gallad leapt at Xar'lem stabbing him in the chest.

"For you Master Pavu…" Gallad whispered to himself.

It was like his parents all over again only this time a Jedi killed his mentor and friend if such a word existed in the sith. Mason's emotions began to over boil, his rage erupted into an inferno that could not be contained by Gallad's force technique. He unleashed it in a shout that shattered Gallad's hold over him. The eruption of power threw Gallad nineteen feet from where he was standing; it also tore down buildings and ripped up the ground.

"By the force…" Gallad said as he recovered from the eruption of power. Large portions of the west wall were missing and an entire acre of ground was torn apart where trees use to stand. It had taken all his might to protect himself from the blast and Gallad Fess was too weak to keep fighting with the force. He would have to use his lightsaber, but he felt and saw the approach of High Lord Kovas. He wasn't alone so Gallad retreated.

When Lord Kovas arrived he and the others with him admired the destruction surrounding Mason as he knelt beside Master Xar'lem. He walked up to Mason and placed a hand on his shoulder; Kovas cringed at the power emanating from the boy.

"An honor guard for Lord Xar'lem…"

"I shall carry him…" Mason said.

"Master Gallad!" Sardell exclaimed in excitement, "I am glad you are still live… When we felt that surge of power…"

"I live to fight another day… And I think it is time we make use of that old saying He who runs and all…"

"You aren't saying that we should retreat…" King Thadimar asked.

Gallad took a seat, "Yes that is exactly what I am saying…"

"But…"

One of his generals cut him off; "Your majesty… I don't like it either, but the sith are inside the city and making their way to the palace…"

"What about the reserve fleet…"

"By the time they get here the sith will have taken the planet… the fleet is useless unless we can hold the planet…" Gallad said.

"And then the beast riders have suffered heavy losses…" Another Jedi said speaking up.

King Thadimar hung his head low as he said; " Evacuate as many people as possible and make sure my family gets to safety… I will stay…"

"But your majesty…" The general objected.

"I am still king of Onderon and those are my orders…"

His commanders saluted and then they left the war room. Gallad stepped forward, "The sith will execute you if you stay here…"

"Perhaps…" He replied reaching into his robe, "…Give this to my son he is king of Onderon now."

Gallad gave King Thadimar a big hug then he joined the rest of the Jedi in their retreat from Onderon.

The Royal Palace of Isis – Now under sith occupation:

The entire planet was under control of the sith and the sith lords and masters were gathered together in the thrown room to celebrate. The crowd parted as High Lord Kovas entered the thrown room with his wife and apprentice.

"HAIL HIGH LORD KOVAS!" Shouted all the sith at once.

He raised one hand, "Today Onderon is ours, soon the galaxy will rest in our clutches…"

"Long live the sith!" Someone shouted.

"Today's victory is due to the bravery and ingenuity of three very promising sith apprentices… Let Apprentices Mason Kell, Shardell Vin, and Dessan Cy come forward…" The crowd parted as the three sith came forward with Shardell standing in the middle. Lord Kovas accepted a robe from his apprentice and waved Cy forward. "Dessan Cy here… took command of the two oh five and lead them into the jungle against the beast riders in their own territory… Because of his efforts the beast riders could not rally support for Isis…" As the sith clapped Cy removed his apprentices robe and accepted a dark knights robe from Kovas. "From this day forward you shall no longer be known as Dessan Cy sith apprentice… You shall be known as Dessan Cy sith knight…" Cy took a step back as Shardell came forward.

"Young Shardell here took joint command of the one nineteen with Mason Kell and together they took the west gate… It was Shardell who lead a group of fifty commandoes into the city… Her entire squad was lost but she killed four Jedi and over two hundred Republic commandoes to take down the city generator… From this day forward you shall be known as Lady Shardell of the sith…" again the gathered sith clapped as Shardell put on her new robe and stepped back. "Last but definitely not least… Mason Kell…" The gathered sith began chanting his name and as they did Desella whispered into Kavos' ear. He looked at her and sighed as the sith kept chanting.

When the chanting died down King Thadimar was brought forth at Kovas' request. "Sith spit…"

"King Thadimar… I will allow you to live… If you bow to me and swear allegiance to the sith. I will even allow you to keep your thrown…"

"That is a nice offer, but I am king of Onderon descendent of Freedon Nadd I bow to no one…"

"Ah the great and powerful Freedon Nadd… A noble sith lord… I am sure he would want you to live…"

"As long as my son lives there will be a king of Onderon…"

"Haven't you heard…" Desella said, "The sith are winning the war…"

Thadimar smiled; "Things change…"

"Last chance… Bow to me…" Thadimar held his head high and defiantly stared Kovas down. "I admire your strength… Mason kill him…"

Without hesitation Mason walked towards the front igniting his lightsaber and with one swing he decapitated Thadimar. After the body was taken away the gathered sith celebrated their victory.

Mason stood on the balcony overlooking the city remembering every word spoken to him by his mentor and friend Master Xar'lem.

"This is not the time for mourning nor is it the time to be alone…" Kovas said walking onto the balcony.

Mason bowed, "Lord Kovas…"

He raised his hand to stop him, "At the moment I am just a man who had a mutual friend in Xar'lem…"

"You always taught me that there are no friends in the sith…"

He smiled mischievously, "I did, but read behind the words… At times even a sith lord needs friends… and at the same time one must be on guard for betrayal… Xar'lem showed his loyalty to me time and time again… And it was Xar'lem who gave me a true understanding of what lightsaber combat is about…"

"And yet it wasn't enough…" Mason said with his hands on the rail.

Kovas leaned his hip on the rail, "Yes, it always comes back to that… No matter what you know there is always someone out there who knows more… Gallad Fess is as good as they come…"

"What do you know of him…"

Kovas stood up strait and tall, "Only what I here in legend… He killed my brother who was ten years my senior and he killed the last of the great Darths… Darth Shroud…"

"He will die at my hand…"

"You will need to reach your full potential before that happens…"

Mason looked at Kovas, "No disrespect my lord, but do you fear him?"

Kovas laughed in his booming voice as he patted his saber hooked to his belt. "Not so long as I have this…"

Mason looked at the legendary weapon eying it greedily, "How did you find it?" In a slow monotone voice like he was a holo-actor Kovas told him the tail of his weapon and how he acquired it. "Are the legends true? I mean is it alive…"

Kovas nodded, "In a way yes…"

"Your successor will have a hard time taking it from you…"

"When I feel the need no longer to rule I will hand over the rule of the empire to a worthy sith…"

Mason looked away, "I have no ambition to rule…"

"Well it will come with age… Time will fix that…"

"Not if your wife has something to do with it…"

Kovas smiled, "Desella's foresight is extraordinary… she believes you are dangerous and will be the cause of the empire's fall… She wants our child to inherit the thrown…"

"Isn't that the logic course of action…"

"Logic must give way to strength… The sith respect strength and covet it… If you were stronger than my son than I would support you… That is how my Master trained me…" They talked for another hour before Desella came and got her husband and as she left the balcony Desella gave Mason a venomous look. He joined the gathering and mingled as much as he could then he took a shuttle to the sith flag ship The Conqueror.

"Welcome back master…" Mason's personal valet and protocol droid was waiting when he entered his quarters. "I heard about your success in combat master… Congratulations…" The droid noticed his expression. "What is wrong master?"

"Master Xar'lem is dead…"

"I am sorry master I rather liked him… Even though he was not human…" Mason dropped down on the sofa. The droid saw his down attitude and said; "Well master you did tell me to remind you to upgrade my logic program…"

Mason smiled and got up, "Right I may as well get it over with…"

Mason had built ZR9 using force alchemy. And while the droid could speak five million languages and had a protocol program, but ZR9 had a hidden program and that was an assassin program. ZR9 could use both heavy weapons and blade weapons. The droid could also use lightsabers and it knew demolitions. Mason had built the droid at the age of fifteen and in private used it for lightsaber practice. It took Mason forty-five minutes to upgrade ZR9 and when he was done he dropped back on the sofa.

ZR9 analyzed Mason's body, "Master I had hoped that distraction would change your mental state…"

"So did I… I am going to shower… Unless they have the rank of sith master or above I do not wish to be disturbed…"

"Yes Master… Would you like a cup of caf or some Onderonian wine when you come out of the shower…"

"Wine… and chill it…" As ZR carried out his request Mason went to the sani-steam for a shower. He got undressed and watered his body down. An hour passed before he came out of the stand up shower. After drying himself off, Mason put on a black robe. When he entered the main room of his quarters Shardell was waiting for him wearing his other robe.

"For give me master but I thought some female company would take your mind off Master Xar'lem…"

"Z, remind me later to cross your wires…"

"Don't be cross with him… Your pain is felt by every sith in the empire… Master Xar'lem was a great sith lord…" They began fondling each other under their robes.

"Lord Kovas gave me command of the one nineteen…"

She kissed him on the neck and gently bit his ear, "I know…"

"I was wondering if you would be my second in command…"

She threw the robe off him and he tore her robe off, "We do work well together…"

"Yes we do…" He shoved her on the bed. "There is something in the force I always wanted to try…"

"Go for it…" She replied seductively.

He used his mind touching every nerve on her alien body and through the force he stimulated them. Shardell began to moan in pleasure as he caressed every part of her body through the force.

"Where in the galaxy did you learn that…"

He hunched his shoulders and jumped into the bed next to her, "Like I said it is something I always wanted to do…." They kissed each other passionately, vigorously, until one in the morning Onderon time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2. The Legend of the Black Hand

The next morning Mason and Shardell sat at the table eating flat cakes made by ZR. As the droid poured them two glasses of jawar juice, ZR's internal com went off.

"Master there is a priority message from Lord Kovas…" The droid said plugging into the com box on the wall. He projected a life size image of Kovas.

"My lord… How may I be of service…" Mason said standing up.

"I have a mission for you I am coding it to you now… I am mobilizing the fleet for the next stage of the war, but in order to do that your mission must be completed first…"

"Yes sir… It shall be done…" when the image faded, ZR unplugged and cleared the table. "Assemble the troops in the main hanger I will join them in one hour..." Shardell kissed him on the forehead and left. Mason went to his private study to decode and read the message. "ZR… Initiate program 2B…" At his voice command ZR shut down and then rebooted. When the droid rebooted it had a different personality.

"Assassin protocols initiated master … What would you have me do…"

"Activate file three dash eight…" A hologram covered the droid and it resembled a sith spy. "I am giving you an hour head start, take one of the captured refugee shuttles and set course for Kashyyyk… I want a full schematic reading on all military sub-stations, warehouses, shipyards, and space stations. I also want a tactical analysis for maximum destruction using fighters, bombers and blockade runners… When you have the info, rendezvous at nine point six five six… I will pick you up myself…"

"Yes master…"

As the droid left his room, Mason got dressed in his black blaster armor, his black robe and leggings. He put on his knee high boots and placed his weapons belt around his waist, his lightsaber was already attached, along with a vibro-blade. He latched his dual vibro-swords to his back and left the room.

"And what death defying mission did Lord Kovas send you on…" The question came from Dessan Cy. The two sith didn't like each other mainly because one of the sith apprentices that died by Mason's hand was his sister. Mason would have killed Dessan years ago if it wasn't for Sith Master Zearn. Zearn was an Ikotchi male and a former apprentice to High Lady Desella.

"Where ever I am going it will be a better place because you won't be there…"

"Oh that is funny… Come now we are both full fledged sith…"

"Why don't you go and do whatever it is you are supposed to be doing before I lose my temper…"

"I just wanted to say goodbye old friend…" Dessan stood in front of Mason stopping him in his tracks. "Don't you want to be friends?"

With a flick of his eyebrow Mason began force choking Dessan, "Do you still want to be my friend fool…" Dessan went to his knees. "Since we are friends now I would advise you to break the hold or you will suffocate without sufficient air." Dessan tried to break it but Mason was too strong.

"That is enough! Let him go Mason…" Master Zearn was standing behind the both of them at the end of the hall.

Mason looked back at the sith master, then he looked down at Dessan. He bent low to his ear and whispered; "One day Master Zearn will not be there to protect you then I shall finish what I started with your sister…"

"I said let him go…"

Dessan gasped as the pressure vanished from around his neck, "As you say master…" Mason bowed mockingly and left the two sith in the hall.

"No I will have the upper hand you arrogant bastard…" Dessan said rubbing his neck.

When Mason arrived in the main hangar Shardell, Colonel Tymen, and three hundred soldiers of the one nineteen were waiting. "Good morning people… As you have heard Lord Kovas made me the leader and commander of this unit… The sith lords are planning their next stage of this war, but in order to do that we must accomplish our mission first…" Mason was walking back and forth in front of the soldiers with Shardell and Tymen standing behind him. "We are going to Kashyyyk and cripple their shipyards…"

One of the male soldiers raised his hand, "Excuse me sir… Who will be our support…"

"There will be no support… We our on our own…" Mason looked at his chrono, only twenty-three minutes passed. "The red sun will give us a ride… we will be using star fighters, blockade runners, and heavy bombers for this mission… Playtime is over people… here is where we separate the men, from the boys… Here is when we make a name for ourselves… I want a complete diagnostic on all ships before we leave the fleet…"

"Alright you heard the man… Lets get on with it…" Tymen yelled.

As they hustled to their shuttles Shardell came up to his side and whispered in his ear. "Why are you stalling…"

He smiled; "There is an old sith saying… Know your enemy…"

Three hours later the Red Sun came out of hyperspace thirty parsecs from Kashyyyk. Shardell was standing at the bottom of the ladder to a sith D-Nine star fighter. "Tell the captain to remain here… I will return soon…"

"Shouldn't I go with you?'

"One sith is less likely to attract the attention of the Jedi… if there are any Jedi in the system…"

Mason powered up his vessel and took off, as the repulsors levitated the ship from off the deck of the hangar he closed down the canopy. He micro-jumped, to the rendezvous and when Mason came out of hyperspace, his receiver picked up ZR's com signal. The droid was in an escape pod and because of the size of the pod it took Mason several minutes to find it. Mason activated his tractor beam and hooked the ship to the bottom hall of his fighter. Then he put on his space suit and decompressed the cockpit. When the cockpit was oxygen free he opened the canopy and drifted out into space after releasing his seat straps. He floated under the ship and opened the escape pod. Both droid and master floated around to the top of the fighter and climbed in. Once inside again Mason switched on the oxygen and removed his helmet.

"What happened?" Was Mason's first question.

"Well master… everything went fine until I was about to leave… a republic droid picked up my matrix signal… I had to fire fight my way off the landing pad to a private hangar where I stole a ship… I had to ditch because the Wookies chased me into space… I completed my mission and I dumped a virus into their main computer…" Mason smiled as his fighter went to light speed.

When he returned to the Red Sun Mason had one last meeting with the one nineteen before they left on their mission. A mixture of star fighters, bombers, and blockade runners swarmed out of the Red Sun and made the micro-jump to Kashyyyk.

"All wings report in…" Mason ordered over the COM.

"Black Hand two standing by…" Shardell said.

Mason's unit was calling itself that after their leader Mason Kell the Black Hand. Mason's wing mates were veteran pilots as they flew in standard v formation towards the planet Kashyyyk and it's orbital stations.

"Remember your orders and follow them… Black Hand twelve and five stay on my six in attack formation…"

"Copy that Black Hand leader…"

As Mason made his run on the Worshyyyr shipping yards, the anti-fighter guns powered up and began shooting at the in coming fighters.

"Arm ion missiles and fire on my mark only…" Mason glanced to left and saw Black Hand fifteen blown apart. "Fire!" He screamed into his head set. As the swarm of missiles rocketed through space Mason and his wing mates pulled up. "Lets take down that tower… Switch to proton torpedoes…" They dove into another run and blew the tower apart in one pass.

"Black Hand leader come in…" It was Tymen.

"Go ahead colonel…"

"Scout ships are picking up Republic Capital ships blockading Trandosha…"

Mason went into deep thought considering whether or not to attack the blockade. His force senses were telling him no. "Not our concern… Our mission is Kashyyyk…"  
>Copy that…"<p>

("Damn Jedi have must have set a trap… No wonder the Wookies have droids manning those shipyards and stations…")

Mason's theory was correct, but as they turned the shipyards to space debris the Republic cruisers remained in orbit around Trandosha. The entire mission took two and half hours to complete and Mason gave the order to leave.

Five hours later Mason was giving a report to High Lord Kovas, he was pleased, but the presence of a blockade fleet made no sense to him because the Trandoshans were neutral.

The destruction of the Wookie shipyards and orbital stations made it possible for the sith fleet to push its way to Telos. The Republic fleet was there to greet the sith, but after four hours of intense fighting and battle meditation from Lord Kovas the Republic decided to retreat.

Now all eyes turned to Dantooine, whoever controlled the planet could hold all the systems between Onderon and Telos. The outer rim would fall completely. As the massive fleets of the Republic and Sith pounded each other in space. Two opposing armies met on the surface of the planet. Both armies were made up of force users, the Jedi and Sith ignited their lightsabers and charged one another. A sea of crimson energy blades charged a rainbow of energy blades. On the front lines Mason Kell fought beside Lord Kovas and after twelve minutes the two sith were separated.

"You have killed many Jedi Sith, but now you face me… Jedi Master Sardell…."

The female Barabel wielded two lightsabers, a green blade in the right and a yellow in the left. She attacked high with the right and low with the left, adding her tail in a sweep at his legs. Mason jumped parried left and then blocked right. He switched in between fighting styles as he struggled back and forth with the Master Jedi. Mason rolled to the right and jumped up into a spin kick, but Sardell slapped him out of the air with her tail. She spun around stabbing both her blades down, but Mason threw out his free hand force pushing her.

When Sardell hit her back another sith tried to kill her, but she took off both his legs and as she came up on her feet she stabbed the sith in the chest. She charged Mason again disarming him in seven moves, but Mason jumped over Sardell and with his two fingers stabbed them into her chest. The technique sent a surge of force power into her heart rupturing two arteries. As the Barabel stumbled backwards Mason summoned his lightsaber and decapitated her. He was breathing heavy, but he had no time to rest as two Jedi rushed him. He used force lightening to throw them off, then he leapt in between them. Mason slashed the Jedi on the right beneath the fifth rib and while he was still in motion he spun around and stabbed the second Jedi on the left in the head. Three more Jedi died at his hand before Mason was rejoined by Lord Kovas. The two sith fighting side by side spurred the rest of the sith forward in battle. By sundown the grove was littered with the bodies of both Sith and Jedi. The survivors along with sith droids cleared the field of their comrades for an honorable burial. The bodies of those Jedi that had not become one with the force were piled high and burned in what the sith considered disgrace. Mason Kell walked the battlefield in rage, Gallad Fess was not among the Jedi who fought for control of Dantooine. Of the five thousand sith that died, only eleven hundred survived and of the five thousand Jedi only six hundred escaped the system.

"That was a costly battle…" Lord Bonm said standing at Kovas' side.

"Costly but worthwhile…"

Bonm was a Tusken Raider who wore his desert robes, but they were dyed black. He looked back at Mason Kell, "That is one angry sith…"

Kovas looked back in the same direction, "He is on the hunt… Gallad Fess was not here today…"

"If he were… I think the battle would have turned out differently…"

Kovas grunted, "More sith would have died, but we still would have won the battle…"

"I am more interested in winning the war…"

As Mason joined Kovas on the hill with Bonm, the remaining sith let out a thunderous cheer chanting Kovas' name first then Mason's. Kovas had killed three hundred and nine Jedi without aid from anyone and Mason had killed two hundred and ninety-nine Jedi using his skills. The battle had also cost the sith, the loss of the flagship Conqueror.

Mason decided to pay a visit to the infirmary set up at the old Jedi Academy. Hundreds of sith and common soldiers were being attended too, many of them with missing arms, legs, eyes, and in some cases everything below the waist. Mason smirked as he eyed Dessan Cy on a med bed being fitted for a cyber implant.

"My…my…my… the great and powerful Dessan Cy…" He had lost his right arm at the shoulder.

He gritted his teeth as the med droid fitted him with a metal bone; "I am in no mood for you…"

"Is that anyway to act… After all we are friends now…"

"One day I will kill you for what you did to my sister…"

"Words are meaningless… Action is what is needed… Your sister died because she was weak and you lost your arm because you are just as weak as she was… Next time we face the Jedi why don't you remain on one of the thrown worlds…"

"You Schu…" He didn't get to finish the word because Mason grabbed his wound and squeezed.

Two days had passed before High Lord Kovas was ready to lead the assault against the planets Terroth and Tarris. Terroth was known as the in between world because it sat on the divide that separated the outer rim from the mid rim. It was an independent world and the sith wanted it because of it's resources and droid factories. Tarris was like Coruscant, a planetary metropolis and a member of the Republic.

Mason had been summoned to the new sith flagship the Dominator, Shardell and Tymen were with him as he walked to the ship thrown room. When he entered the thrown room Lord Kovas was alone, they dropped to one knee until Kovas gave them permission to rise.

"Rise my friends…" He looked at all three of them, but he paid the most attention to Mason. "Your unit has gained quit the reputation young Kell…"

"The Black Hand is always ready to serve my lord…"

"I have a mission for you… My spies report that the Republic is receiving military supplies from the Verpine in the Roche System… I want you to sweep that infestation from the galaxy…"

"Consider it done my lord…"

"The Verpine have become allies to the Republic…" Mason said this three hours later walking before his private army. "So we are going to take a star fighter sized bug zapper and clean them out…" The gathered troops all laughed. "Lets mount up!"

Within ten minutes the Black Hand was launching from Dantooine to Roche System where the Verpine dwelt in the asteroid belt. Verpine sting fighters swarmed out to engage the Black Hand. Mason lead the battle from the Red Sun with Shardell at his side, "Colonel Tymen I am picking up binary signals from those fighters…"

"I am getting the same readings… These Verpine are cowards…"

Mason smiled, "When you finish your run we will move in and sweep the asteroids…"

An hour later the Red Sun was plowing through the asteroid field heading towards the main nesting colony of the Verpine. Mason's shuttle set down on the asteroid surface. He and Shardell would lead the ground forces into battle against the Verpine.

"Shardell take ten squads around the side…"

She saluted, "You men with me…"

"Colonel Tymen I want you on the ground now…" Mason said into his COM.

"Yes sir…"

When Tymen landed in his star fighter he helped Mason fight their way into the underground structures of the asteroid. A hail of Blaster Bolts zipped at them as the sith stormed the main entrance. Mason filled the area with force lightening killing hundreds of Verpine.

"My lord you need to see this…" Tymen said.

Mason followed him to the downed droid that had been hit by the bolts of lightening. Tymen turned it over with his foot. It was a Republic battle droid.

"I think we walked into a trap…"

"So do I… I sense the Jedi…"

"Great that is all I need Today…"

The comment was ignored because Mason could feel the familiar presence of Gallad Fess. "Lets move out!" As they moved deeper into the asteroid more blaster bolts were fired at the advancing sith.

"Pull back…" When the sith commandoes obeyed, Mason looked at Tymen. "Assassins… Destroy them…" He yelled. They came out of nowhere two dozen sith assassins. They charged down the tunnel with bolts flying at them deflecting them back. Within Twenty minutes the battle was over, but the darkness of the tunnel was pierced by the light of five lightsabers. Mason paced back and forth during the lightsaber fight building up his rage and anger. When the last assassin fell dead to the floor, Mason broke out into a run and when he neared the first Jedi he leapt forward to the side and stabbed the Jedi in the shoulder angling the blade down towards his heart. As he was coming down Mason made an overhead chop with his saber, but the second Jedi blocked it. He kicked the Jedi in between the legs and decapitated him. The other two Jedi reacted at the same time, combing their power they force pushed Mason. He fell backwards sliding in the dirt and rolled on his back and onto his feet again. He charged the two Jedi bending low, Mason gutted the third Jedi and cut the top part of the forth Jedi's head off. As he collected their lightsabers blaster fire could be heard from behind as Tymen fired his heavy repeater back up the tunnel.

"We have problems this is a trap…"

"And I intend to survive it…" Mason shoved Tymen to the side and used the force to cave the tunnel in.

"That won't hold for long…"

In response Mason used his force lightening to heat the rock into a solid wall. "Now it will hold…"

As Mason and Tymen made their up a side tunnel a huge explosion shook the asteroid. "What the hell was that…"

Using the force Mason turned his eyes into a pair of x-ray specs, "We just lost the Red Sun…"

"This just keeps getting better…"

"Shardell where are you?"

When she responded blaster bolts and the familiar sound of lightsabers could be heard. "Half my unit is dead… I am at the center of the asteroid near the command center… Damn Jedi… We are in a bottle neck, but they have battle droids we can use a hand here…"

"The rest of the hand is dead… Tymen and I are the only ones left in this group… We will be there soon as possible…"

As Mason and Tymen made their way through the asteroid they were confronted by Gallad Fess. "Well my friend we meet again…"

"Yes and it is not a meeting that will go well for you…"

"Do we really have to fight… Surely you can see it by now… Our fates are intertwined…"

"Does that mean you wish to become my apprentice…"

"No I want you to learn the true nature of the force…"

Mason looked at Tymen, "I want you to go and find an ion launcher and help Shardell… This slimo is mine!" When Tymen was safely away Mason ignited his lightsaber.

"I am sorry about your master, but when you use the dark side of the force… Death is the only thing that awaits you…"

"Enough talk!"

Mason leapt forward closing the distance between him and Gallad. Their blades met in mid-air, but Mason spun around twisting his blade behind his back swinging low for Gallad's legs who jumped up, but Mason side kicked him to his back. Gallad jumped up onto his feet off his back. He stepped inside Mason's blade and elbowed him in the side of the head. Then he swept his legs from under him and kicked Mason in the ribs. Mason force threw his lightsaber, but Gallan leaned to the side and unleashed a force wave. The blast of power sent Mason across the floor of the asteroid.

Gallan was about to press his attack, but he felt a great disturbance in the force.

"Protect yourself we are all in danger…" Gallad summoned Mason's lightsaber and threw it too him, then he ran off ordering his troops to retreat through his arm COM.

As Mason stood up he felt the danger Gallad was referring to. He force sped his way to main hall where Republic droid were laying down cover fire for the Republic commandoes as they retreated. Mason unleashed a force storm disabling the droids. Then he jumped down fifty feet to his remaining troops. "Every one hold hands…" As they reluctantly obeyed Mason put up an air force bubble as the tunnels of the asteroid were filled with a toxic gas. Mason began to tremble as the minutes turned to hours. Then he had to wait until the gas died down.

"Search the entire field…" Cy ordered leading a group of soldiers into the main asteroid. Then he spotted Mason walking towards him with Shardell and Tymen walking behind him. "Damn you survived.

Mason walked up to Cy and force punched him in the gut dispelling his force barrier.

"Your end has come fool…" Mason said igniting his saber.

"That's enough!" Boomed the voice of Lord Zearn. He walked up to Mason and stared him down standing in between him and Cy.

"You in on this too…" Mason said.

"No…" Zearn said with a smile as he handed Mason a data pad with orders from Lady Desella. It read; _It is my opinion that the black hand is walking into a trap... I therefore contravene the orders of my husband High Lord Emperor Kovas and I commission Lord Zearn and Sith Knight Dessan Cy to take fleet division Krayt Dragon and gas the tunnels of the asteroids belonging to the Verpine._

It was a death sentence for Mason. He threw the pad on the ground and stumped on it with his foot. "Be careful young Mason…"

He stepped closer to Zearn as Shardell held him back, "No it is you and this fool… who should be careful…" Mason jerked his arm away from Shardell. "Black Hand lets move out…"

When Kovas heard about his wife's counter orders he was furious, but Zearn and Cy did manage to save what was left of the black hand. During the next month Mason Kell's reputation grew by leaps and bounds. He personally lead the attack against Terroth and Cerea, in which he had a complete victory. It was during the battle of Cerea that he ran into the Jedi Gallad Fess. There duel ended in a draw because several Sith interfered.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Troubled Mind

The sith fleet was in rotation and Mason Kell was getting some much needed rest and relaxation. The tropical world of Spira was in Sith territory, so that is the planet Mason decided to relax on. He came alone with the exception of ZR who was giving Mason a message on a private terrace in a villa.

"That Falleen woman was furious with you…" The droid said wearing the hologram of a female Twi'leck.

"Her name is Shardell…"

"I know her name master…"

"You don't like her?"

"I have been observing her master and she is using you…"

"She is a sith of course she is using me… As I am using her…"

"And you are okay with that master…"

"I am…"

ZR was working Mason's shoulders as he asked. "When are we going to do something about Dessan Cy master… I was most perplexed when I discovered his failed attempt to kill you…"

"ZR… at the moment I have no wish to discuss anything concerning the war… or politics of the sith…"

"As you say master…"

When ZR finished the massage Mason got dressed and went to the Spiral Casino where he won sixty thousand credits playing sabacc. Upon returning to his suit ZR had a meal waiting for him.

The smell of hundreds of thousands of dead filled the air and Mason Kell walked through the mass of bodies in the streets. He couldn't tell what planet he was on nor could he tell if it was the past, present, or future. Then he saw a flower that bloomed among all that death, it was a perfect flower and it held his attention as the flower grew into a woman. When Mason saw the woman, he immediately fell in love.

Mason woke up in a sweat and his heart was racing. He was in his suit alone with the exception of ZR who had powered down for the night. "Are you okay master?" The droid's motion sensor had been tripped.

"I am fine ZR… Go back to sleep…"

"I wouldn't call it sleep master…"

He smiled, "Well shut back down…"

The next day Mason went diving, but it wasn't very pleasurable as his mind was on the woman from his dream. He had a few lessons on foresight and he decided to sit on the beach and meditate. The moment he closed his eyes the woman appeared to him. She had a strong noble like face. Her hair went to the middle of her back and it was black and curly. Her thin eyebrows curved above her green piercing eyes.

His eyes popped open and Mason was in a cold sweat. He dried himself off and left the beach. That night he dreamed about the woman again. He was in the refresher when her image appeared in the mirror. Mason lost control and smashed the mirror in the force.

"Are you alright master?" ZR yelled running into the refresher.

"I am fine…"

The droid shook its head, "No you are not master… You haven't been sleeping or eating right… If this keeps up you will not be fit for duty when you do return to the front lines…"

Mason started pacing as he tried to think his way through his mental state. "ZR pack our things… We are going to Vash…"

It took five days to reach the sith thrown world, Mason's destination was Bivarr Mountain where the oldest and most revered sith lived. The man's name was Jusard Kaz and he was two hundred and fifteen years old. The old sith lord hated technology and the company of others. He lived alone at the top of the mountain in a wooden shack and if any ships were flown within a three-mile radius of his mountain, the trespasser would suffer a painful death. So Mason had too leave ZR and his lightsaber behind before climbing the dangerous peeks of Bivarr Mountain. The younger sith referred to the mountain as the dark mountain.

Kaz was a thin muscular man and despite his age he could still move around. His hair was black and white; it went down to the middle of his back. His beard was just as long and predominantly white. The old man walked with an elaborate cane with sith markings on it. Kaz rarely took on an apprentice, in fact he had only trained three apprentices in his life. Kaz was cooking his mid day meal when he felt the approach of Mason Kell. Many sith including High Lord Kovas came to him for advice.

Mason knelt in the door after removing his boots, "Master Kaz…"

Without so much as a twitch on his part a chair at the wooden table slid back for him to sit down. Mason stood up and took a seat as Kaz covered his pot. His cane flew to his hand and the chair pulled out from under the table for him to sit.

Mason said nothing as the elder sith examined him, "Mason Kell has come to see the old man of the mountain…"

"I need your wisdom master…"

"You have made quit a name for yourself… The black hand indeed… I remember a time when someone of your power and prestige would have a true sith name… All the sith would tremble at the mention of your name… The Jedi would quake in the robes at the sound of your lightsaber…"

"Times have changed master…"

"Indeed they have… I long for the days of Darth Malak or Darth Caos even… Now there was a sith lord… He used his cunning and wit to accomplish his goals…" He sighed. "…Ah well I am sure you didn't come all the way up here to hear an old man gibber…"

"You don't gibber master…"

"Its nice of you to say so, but all old people gibber…" The old sith looked Mason up and down again. "I know that look… High Lord Kovas had it when he asked me about Desella… Who is the girl…"

Mason smiled, "It's not so much a girl master… She may not even be real…" Mason described in great detail his visions and the restless nights they had been giving him.

When Mason finished his tale, Kaz closed his eyes and remained in that position for the next hour. "This girl is real and you will see her soon… The question is, what will you do when you meet her…"

"Is she my destiny…"

He hunched his shoulders, 'The future is based on the choices we make… No doubt she will bring you happiness and passion… I think that through her you will reach your full potential… My vision is clouded in regards to the two of you… My advice is to kill her when you see her…"

"But why… I love her…"

Kaz grunted, "I have loved two women in my life time and looked what that got me…" Kaz pulled back his robe to reveal a wound crossing his chest in the shape of an x. "This was done by the first woman…" He said tracing the line from his right side to his left shoulder, "…and the other by the second woman… I loved both and they both died at my hand… Apparently they loved my power and wanted my secrets more than me…" Mason sighed, he had considered killing the woman but the more he thought about it the more the idea repulsed him.

Kaz broke the silence, "Don't worry about it… You will do what you will do when the time comes… Love is different for everyone especially force users… The Jedi avoid it and the sith… They welcome it when it comes… but like the Jedi they deny themselves things the Jedi teach… I say both sides are misguided… I fear that when the sithari appears… even he will be alluded by the true answers…"

"What do I do then…"

"Like I said… You will know that when the time comes…"

"Thank you master for your time…"

Kaz raised an eyebrow, "Is that all… You aren't going to ask me what to do about Lady Desella or Dessan Cy… If you ask I can get that harpy woman off your back…"

Mason laughed, Kaz was a man who said what he wanted without worrying about the consequences. "Well in regards to the…" He thought better of it. "…I mean Lady Desella I can take care of it myself…"

Kaz interrupted him, "Well if you fight her focus on blinding her force sight or use pure skill no force ability… She has an uncanny ability to read people in the force…"

"I will keep that in mind thank you master… No my other problem is a Jedi master named Gallad Fess…"

"Ah the Jedi who killed Master Xar'lem… If there is anyone I would like to face in combat it is him…"

"Is there anything you can tell me about him master?"

"I am sure Lord Kovas said this to you… but I will repeat it. You must reach your full potential before you face this Jedi…"

"Master I have faced him three times and all three times Gallad has tested my limits I would say… Now that I think about our fights… He wasn't trying to kill me… In fact the first time we met he said the force doesn't mean for either of us to die… I fear he is trying to turn me and I have only bested him once in the power of the force and that is because I lost control when he killed Master Xar'lem…"

Kaz closed his eyes again and started scratching his three-inch nails into the wooden table. "The three of you are connected…" He said opening his eyes, "You, the woman, and Gallad… Like I said earlier, kill the woman… Or better you can try and turn Gallad… He has had a run in with the dark side before… Maybe he craves more…"

"How…"

"You will have to figure that one on your own…"

Mason sighed, "Is there anything you can teach me master that would give me an advantage over him…"

Kaz shook his head no, "You have held your own against Gallad… Turn to the ancient teachings… Beyond that there is nothing I can teach you…"

Mason stood up and bowed, "Thank you Master…"

He was about to leave when Kaz grabbed his arm, "One last thing my young sith… Tell no one else of this woman or your visions…"

"I won't master and thank you again…"

Kaz watched Mason Kell leave his hut, his mind went back to the first time Kovas brought Kell to him. Mason was fourteen years old and showed a lot of promise, now things were changing and the empire would benefit from it or be destroyed by it and Mason Kell would be the catalyst.

"The fools… they have created their own destruction…" Kaz said. The old sith stood up and as he did he felt a powerful mind watching him. This force mind was ancient and full of memory, ("Who are you…") Kaz said dropping his cane.

It was quiet for so long Kaz wondered if he was losing his mind, but then a voice responded. ("Do you really want to know…")

Kaz grew angry, ("I asked didn't I…")

There was a laugh, ("I am Darth Traya… There must always be a Darth Traya…")

("That name is familiar to me… Are the one who trained… Darth Nihilus…") Kaz asked hopefully.

("That was the Darth Traya before my predecessor…")

("What do you want of me…")

("Nothing… I have been watching you for some time now… Your knowledge of the Dark Side is unbelievable…")

He grunted, ("Whatever I know is a drop of water in the vast ocean of the power I sense in you…")

("What you sense is the true nature of the force… Would like to know more…")

("What can you possibly teach me that the sith and the Jedi don't already know…")

("The ultimate knowledge… You are on the verge of discovery and you hinted at the knowledge when you spoke to young Kell…") She watched Kaz's mind as he slowly connected the dots. ("Yes that is it my friend… Do you want to know more?")

("Yes… I feel a reason to live now… Where are you…")

She laughed, ("If you are ready for the journey I will bring you here now…")

("How…") Before he could finish the question Kaz was engulfed in a bright red light and when the light faded all that was left was Kaz's robes.

When Mason reached the bottom of the mountain he felt the surge of power. He looked up at the top of the mountain just as the light was fading. Mason reached out with his mind and felt nothing Jusard Kaz was gone. He force ran to the sith palace not wanting to be seen because if he felt it then every sith on the planet felt it and Mason had no desire to be around for questions.

"What are you up too…" Dessan Cy said watching Mason leave the mountain in a hurry.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 Massacre

Mason spent the rest of his time in the archives learning new sith techniques. He learned force walking and shadow force in three days. Force walking allowed him to leave his body and possess the body of another. Shadow force allowed him to make echoes of himself during combat with another. The next day Mason and all the sith were recalled to the front lines. As Mason traveled in his personal cruiser the Black Hand he tried cleansing his mind of the haunting woman, by replacing it with his desire to kill Gallan Fess.

High Lord Kovas was furious, because several conquered systems both independent and republic were rebelling against sith occupation. To make matters worse someone with a lot of credits and connections were supplying these rebellious acts with weapons and ships. Someone with deep pockets who had an uncanny ability to fool the sith's most powerful seers. Even Lady Desella couldn't peer the vale to unmask the identity of the person or persons behind it.

"Kill them all… Make examples of the rebel scum… Leave their bodies to rot in the streets and let the galaxy see what happens when you defy the sith…" Kovas pointed his jeweled hand at Mason. "Mason Kell will lead the assault against the planet Carmor… Leave nothing alive…" He issued other commands to higher ranking sith and then Kovas dismissed them. As Mason was leaving, Kovas summoned him to the thrown. "You were the last to see Master Kaz alive… What did you speak about…"

"We spoke of the war and the sith's triumphal rule of the galaxy…" Mason had been practicing this line for days now. "He mentioned the prophecy of the sithari…"

Kovas looked at Mason trying to judge his emotions, 'When we defeat the Jedi and the republic then the real war will begin… The sith will fight among themselves…"

"Not while you live my lord…"

"You are dismissed…"

Mason didn't know whether or not he believed him but he sensed no anger in Kovas. Mason went to his star cruiser the Black Hand and it immediately left the system for Carmor. Carmor was inhabited by humans and it was a multi-climate planet. A high council elected by the people ran the planet. It was three hours after sunrise when the Black Hand attacked the planet. Twelve heavy cruisers bombarded the planet from orbit, targeting military and none military buildings. Because of the way they reentered normal space the people of Carmor had no time to put up the planetary shield net or power up its defenses.

Mason stood on the bridge of the Black Hand watching the devastation on the main viewer. Shartell was at his side while Colonel Tymen was preparing to lead fighters in their dive runs.

"Tell the Gryphon to start on the major forests and mountains of the surface…"

"Yes sir…" The COM officer replied obeying the command.

"You are distracted…" Shartell said.

Mason hunched his shoulders, "And you are still upset that I didn't bring you with me to Spira…"

She suppressed her anger and asked: "Have I done something to offend you?"

"No I needed to be alone…"

"I know you better than anyone and you are hiding something…"

He sighed, "I needed to be alone that is why I went to Spira alone…"

"Sir all fighters have launched…"

It took four hours to bombard the planet surface and when the bombardment ended troops were sent down to the surface to ensure there were no survivors.

Mason Kell walked the streets of Cordor city; bodies lay in the streets and sith holo-droids transmitted the gory scenes throughout the galaxy. Mason stopped as he remembered the scene from his vision. He looked this way and that way, but he found no one. ("How could anyone survive this…") He asked himself. He was about to speak into his arm COM when he felt a flicker of life in the force. It was coming from a ruined building. The building was a hundred feet tall but everything above the fortieth floor had been blown off. Mason started walking towards the building and entered, the doors had been melted by the heat from the turbo lasers. When Mason entered the building the first thing he sensed in the force was that spark of life, only it was stronger now.

He walked to the back of the lobby to a side room. There was a hole in the wall where the explosion tore up the ground just outside. Mason noticed a plasta-crate turned over and with a wave of his hand the crate was thrown to the side. Mason unhooked his lightsaber at the sight of a young woman curled up in a ball beneath. He started walking towards her and as he did the girl stood up. As Mason ignited his lightsaber the girl's curly long hair fell to the sides to reveal her face. When Mason saw her face he gasped, because it was the girl from his vision.

She held her head high and said in a confident voice, "Go ahead sith scum and kill me…" She closed her eyes and tilted her head towards the ceiling.

Mason stared at her, she was more beautiful than his visions had revealed to him. Despite the smudges on her face, her beauty was undiminished. Mason's heart sank as he saw that her arm was broken. As he admired her Master Kaz's words swirled around in his head and Lord Kovas' orders were there as well. His emotions were in turmoil, if he spared her life he could be seriously punished. He could argue that Master Kaz told him that this woman would be the reason he reached his full potential, but Kaz also told him not to reveal his vision to anyone. When Mason switched off his lightsaber she opened her eyes confused by his actions.

"What is your name girl…" She took a step back, 'I said tell me your name!"

She flinched, "Novel… Siella Novel…"

"You have a beautiful name…"

She caught the way he was looking at her and took another step back, "I will die before I let you rape me…" She pulled a vibro-blade from her side and put it to her heart, but it was force ripped from her hand.

"If I wanted to kill you or do anything to you I would have done it by now…"

"What do you want from me? I know nothing of military secrets… Neither am I rich…"

He was about to answer when Mason felt the approach of several soldiers. "Look what we have here…" The commander said entering the room. This group of soldiers, were recently transferred to the black hand. "She's not half bad either… Can we have some fun sir before we kill her… You can be first…" When Mason didn't respond the commander hunched his soldiers and started for Novel, but he was grabbed in the force and thrown into the wall. Mason threw the dagger into the commander's chest and killed him.

'What the hell are you doing?" One of the other eleven soldiers screamed.

Mason's anger rose and he unleashed a lightening storm on the rest of the men. As he killed his own men, Siella screamed shielding her face from the flashes of light. "You just killed your own men…"

He looked at her and she flinched when she saw his yellow eyes, "Would you rather them have their way with you?" She couldn't answer.

Mason walked up to one of the soldiers and compared him to Siella. When he began stripping the man of his uniform Siella tried to run, but she was grabbed in the force and held in place.

"Going somewhere?"

She started crying, "Please let me go…"

"And where would you go… The planet is crawling with my troops and we are under orders to kill everyone on the planet…" He stood up and walked up to her. "So you have three choices… You can try and run, but you would be killed the moment you stepped outside… I can kill you which I don't or you can take your chances with me…"

"I will… take my chances with you…" She replied with a studder.

"Good… Now put this on…" He turned his back to give her some privacy and when she was done Mason took her arm, "This is going to hurt, but only a little…" Mason dipped into her mind and her nerves and fed off the pain as he pushed her bone back into place.

"How did you do that I barley felt it…"

He smiled as he took a rag and cleaned her face, then he wrapped her hair around her head and placed the helmet over it. "It will have to do for now… Listen to me… On my ship there is one other force user and if she senses your fears… You are dead… So I need you to trust me…"

He was about to place his hands on the side of her head, but she stopped him. "Why are you being nice to me…" The question was ignored and he placed his hands on the sides of her head drawing all her fears from her mind. "What did you do?"

"What I can… Alright here…" He handed her a heavy repeater. "Stay at my side and say nothing."

He was about to leave the building but stopped to take care of the soldiers he just killed. Mason used to the force to pile the bodies up then he took a plasma lighter and burnt them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5. Change of Heart

Transports ships were taking off from the planet, the sith were getting ready to leave. "Colonel what's our status…"

Tymen glanced at the soldier standing behind Mason, but ignored him. "We have completed our sweep of the planet sir… All dead… several holo-stations have picked up our broadcast of the slaughter… All units have reported in, we are ready for departure…"

"Tell Shardell to take command… and when I return to the Black Hand I am not to be disturbed, unless it is a master or lord…"

Tymen saluted, "Yes sir…"

"Pilot you may leave I will fly my own shuttle…"

"Aye sir…"

When Mason took off, he put the ship on auto, turned in his chair and asked. "Do you know a man by the name Gallad Fess… He is a Jedi Master…"

"I have heard of him, but I have never met him…"

He sighed, "When we get aboard my ship say nothing… Walk behind me and hold your gun like this…" After showing her how to hold the gun he returned his attention to piloting the ship. When he landed the captain and six men were waiting to greet him. "Captain for the time being Lady Shardell is in charge… I do not wish to be disturbed unless it's a sith lord or master…"

The captain saluted, "Aye sir…"

Mason and Siella were able to relax better when they got to his quarters. They were greeted by ZR9 and Siella watched as Mason whispered into to the droid.

"What about…" The droid looked at Siella, "…Lady Shadarr?"

"I will take care of her…"

"Oh Master I am receiving a message from the captain…" The droid projected an image of the captain.

"Forgive me my lord but Lord Kovas wants to speak with you… It's a coded transmission…"

"I will take it in my private study…" When the hologram dissolved Mason turned to Siella. "The refresher is in there if you want to get cleaned up or if you are hungry ZR will fix whatever you like… I have a private kitchen…"

When Mason left the main living area Siella turned her attention to the droid. "I have never seen a… protocol droid like you before…"

"I am one of a kind… My master built me…" Siella looked at her surroundings and nothing in the room was what she expected. "Would you care to eat first ma'am or clean up… I am also programmed to give messages…"

"Um I will clean up first…"

"Very well then I will have something ready to eat when you come out…"

"I need some clothes…"

"Something will be put out for you ma'am…"

When Siella emerged from the refresher a black robe was waiting for her. She dressed in an under suit then she placed the robe over it.

"Your food is ready ma'am…"

"Um where is your master…"

"You can call him Mason… He is still in conference with the High Lord…"

An hour had passed sense she went into the refresher and the Black Hand was still traveling through hyperspace. "Is that an Onderonian holo-painting?" Siella asked looking at the shifting mosaic painting on the wall.

"Why yes my master has thing for art and collecting weapons…"

Siella picked at her food, "If the food is not to your liking then I could make something else…" ZR said.

"Um, its fine… thank you."

"Well if you don't need anything else I will shut down ma'am…"

Siella ate half her food then she went to the bedroom and fell on the bed fast to sleep. Many dreams flashed in Siella's head, the terrifying slaughter of her friends and family haunted her the most but then it was as if something was taking all the pain away. Siella jumped up in the bed, breathing heavy and she screamed because Mason was sitting in the dark staring at her.

"What do you want…"

He smiled, "I was watching you sleep… You make a bird like sound when you sleep…"

"I was having a nightmare…"

"I am sorry about your family…"

"Really…" She shouted, "…How sorry are you? You lead this mission and killed hundreds of thousands… Just how sorry are you…"

He put his head down and said in a sad tone of voice, "I was following orders…"

"You sith are all the same…"

ZR entered the room as Mason said, "If that were true you would be dead…" He stood up and faced ZR.

"Begging your pardon master but we have arrived…"

"Where are we…" Siella yelled.

Mason stopped in the door and looked at Siella, "Kashyyyk…"

An hour after Mason left Siella screamed when the ship was shaken from cannon fire. The lights in the room flickered in and out, as the ship was hit by ion blasts. The door opened and ZR entered the room and sat beside Siella.

"My master was only obeying orders…" He said looking in her face, "He has had a hard life…"

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for him?" She asked sarcastically.

"Feel what you wish… My duty is to him… His parents were murdered in front of him when he was seven years old…The sith did it to fuel his anger and hatred…"

When she said nothing in response ZR got up and left her alone as the ship was hit once again by cannon fire. Siella got up and went into the main room where ZR was preparing food.

"Do you know why your master brought me here…"

The droid looked up as he was cutting up some nurf meat. "No ma'am I do not, but he is taking a great risk…" When he finished the meal Zr said to Siella. "Would you like to play sabacc or Djarick…" She hesitated, "It will take your mind off things…"

She hunched her shoulders, "Sure why not…"

Four hours had passed when a chime came to the door, ZR had beaten Siella once and during the second game she beat him. They were on their third as ZR got up to answer the door. Before he reached it the door opened and Shadarr entered using the force to override the lock.

"Why did Mason…" The words stopped in her mouth when she spotted Siella.

"Who in space are you…"

"She is my personal attaché…" Mason said from behind.

She stepped to the side to allow him to pass, but Mason stood in the doorway. "I came to surprise you, but I see you have other plans…"

"You sound jealous…"

Shadarr's face twisted and she walked off, "Is she your girlfriend or something…" Siella asked.

Mason grunted, "Or something… Come with me…" She followed him to his private study where he sat at a computer terminal. He took a holo-pic of her and uploaded it to his computer.

"What are you doing?" She asked standing behind him.

Mason was creating a military profile for her, "You are now a citizen of the Sith Empire… You were born on Taphor Three and then you attended the imperial military academy… You were personally requested by me… As my personal attaché no one will question you…"

"You never really answered my question…"

"And which one was that?"

"Why have you brought me here?"

Mason sighed, "I had a vision about you… I had a dream through the force… You and I are connected in some way…."

"My family is dead because of you and the sith… And you expect me to believe that we are connected?"

"Also I am in love with you…"

"You don't know me… So how in the world could you be in love me…"

"I know you better than you know yourself…"

Before she could respond he jumped up and kissed her. She struggled to push him off, but part of her liked it. When she did manage to push him away, she slapped him.

He smirked, "Well that was worth it…"

They stared at each other then she leapt forward into his arms and they kissed passionately as if they had been lovers all their lives. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to his room. As he tore her clothes off the Black Hand went to hyperspace.

Mason and Siella lay wrapped in each others arms for the next three hours. She sighed and said; "You are my first…"

"I know… I hope from now on you will be my only…"

"What about that Falleen who came to your room…"

"We have been friends a long time, but she wants more…"

"Where is the ship going now…"

"To the sith thrown world of Vash…"

Siella sat up and looked at him, "I am a republic citizen…"

He sighed, "Under my protection… I won't let anyone or anything hurt you…"

"I don't belong here…"

He sat up, "Do you love me?"

She hesitated, "I don't know…"

"Tell me you don't love me and I will let you go…"

"I don't know you…"

"Then the answer the question… The answer is easy…"

She sighed, "Yes I love you…"

"Then trust me…" They got out of bed, got dressed, and sat at the table eating together. "What are you thinking…" Mason asked sitting across from her.

She smiled, "I am thinking about many things… You and me… How is this going to work?"

"What do you mean?" He asked staring lovingly at her.

"I am a Republic Citizen…"

He hunched his shoulders, "When the Sith win this war you will be a citizen of the sith empire…"

"ZR told me about your parents… Is this what they wanted for you…" He stood up and started walking towards the door. "I'm sorry…" He ignored her and left the room.

"What is our ETA?" Mason asked entering the bridge.

"One hour sir…"

"Since when did you start having an attaché…" Shardell asked walking up to his side.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you…"

Her anger was growing, "You…"

"I told you from the start how it was between us… So don't play the victim because I am interested in someone else…"

She didn't have a reply and said nothing else as the ship came out of hyperspace. "Do you love her…" She finally asked as they pulled into orbit around Vash.

"Yes…" Was his cold reply before walking off.

Siella followed Mason down to his apartment in the palace which was in the west wing. The planet was beautiful and she would be enjoying the walk through palace if it wasn't filled with sith. She drew a few looks from people and aliens passing by, but no one approached them to her relief.

"Hey Shardell, who is that little number with Mason…" Cy said grabbing her arm.

She snatched her arm away, "If you are so interested go ask…" Then she walked away.

ZR was unpacking some things when they arrived at the apartment. "I have business with the High Lord… ZR will get you anything you need…"

Siella stepped in front of him, "Are you still angry with me?" He looked away. "I am sorry about your parents…" Still he said nothing. "You said you loved me… and when you love someone you talk to them…"

He sighed, "I am not angry at you… I am angry with myself…"

"About what…"

He kissed her, "We will discuss this when I return… I am already late and the High Lord does not like to be kept waiting…"

Mason's meeting with the high lord took long because he was late for the meeting. When he left he went back to his apartment where he had a lengthy conversation with Siella. They talked for hours about each other and from the conversation Siella got a better understanding of Mason. As the days turned into weeks she noticed a change in him, the anger was there, but his love for her was greater. They went for walks together in the forest, they went swimming and made love on more than one occasion.

"You wanted to see me my lord…"

High Lord Kovas had summoned Mason to his thrown room, "Yes… What has been going on with you… Your superiors tell me you have been neglecting your duties… Master Orthan says you passed your apprentice on to Shardell…"

"Forgive me my lord I have been distracted as of late…"

"Perhaps your skills are wasted here… Maybe you should return to the frontlines…"

"If you think it is best…"

Siella was in the kitchen preparing dinner with ZR"s help when the door opened. She left her chopping and hugged Mason, but the look on his face made her step back.

"What's wrong?"

"You need to return to the Republic… I must let you go…"

"I don't want to go… I want to be with you…"

"We can't be together…"

"Why?" He turned away. "Why?"

He spun around, 'Because being with you is making me weak…"

She was hurt by those words and he could tell, "That is a lie… I don't believe you…"

"Believe whatever you want… I must return to the frontlines… I will arrange for you to be smuggled out of the empire…"

"I won't go!"

"You don't have a choice in the matter… ZR pack our things… We leave soon…"

She dropped on the sofa in tears as he walked out. it pained Mason, but he believed it to be for the best. "Don't cry my lady…" ZR said. She hugged the droid and as she did the tears came even more.

The door chimed and ZR answered it, "Where is he?" Cy said standing in the door.

"My master is not here… perhaps…"

ZR didn't get to finish the statement because Cy force threw him to the floor. "What's going…" Siella gasped when she saw ZR on the floor.

"You are even more beautiful up close…"

"What do you want?"

He shoved her to the floor with his power and stood over her undoing his robe. "I want to hurt him the way he hurt my sister…"

"Get off me!" She screamed. He hesitated as he felt a flicker of force life in her body.

"What the…" He said staring at her stomach.

Mason grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the ground, 'Are you alright?"

"Look out!" Siellla screamed as Cy ignited his lightsaber and charged Mason.

In one motion Mason ignited his lightsaber, blocked the attack, and cut his hand off. When Cy hit the ground Mason showered him with force lightening.

Siella watched as Mason shocked him and kept shocking him. She rushed to his side. "Stop you're going to kill him!"

The sound of her voice pulled Mason out of his state of rage. He turned around and hugged her as several guards rushed in. "Take this schutta to the infirmary…"

As they carried Cy's unconscious body away Shardell entered the room. "What happened are you alright?"

"We are fine…" Shardell folded her arms. Mason sighed, "Cy tried to rape her…"

"And you let him live… You should have killed him…"

"Yeah I will remember that next time…" She started walking towards him, "We just need to be alone now…"

Shardell was hurt, but she quietly left his apartment without complaint. "ZR…" Siella said rushing to the droids side.

Mason watched her as he felt something strange about Siella. Fear gripped his heart and he slowly started walking towards Siella. He touched her on the shoulder and stood her up. Then he brought his hand to her stomach.

"What are you doing…"

He smiled, "You are pregnant…" he blurted.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6. Secret Revealed

Siella heard what he said but still asked, "What did you just say?"

He took her arm and lead her to the sofa and knelt down in front of her. "I said you are pregnant…"

She jumped up and so did he, "I can't be pregnant…"

"You are…" He sat her down, but she jumped up again, "You and I are going to be parents…" She noticed the look on his face. "Aren't you happy?"

"I am a little bit of everything…" He sat her down and explained how that if the sith found out they would want the child especially since the force was strong in the unborn child. "You are not safe…"

"You want me to leave?" He didn't answer the question, "I am not leaving without you…"

"If I go with you they will hunt us relentlessly…"

"I will take my chances with you…"

"The safest place for you is Coruscant…"

"According to you the sith are going to win the war… so how would Coruscant be safe?" He hesitated, "I want to be where you are and if that means among the sith then so be it…"

He kissed her, "I love you… Okay I have a plan, but you must do as I say without fail…"

Cy was in the medical center being fitted for a new arm when Master Zearn entered the medical center.

"What in the galaxy happened to you?"

"Mason Kell happened master… but that is not why I called you… The girl who has been living with him is pregnant…"

"Are you sure?"

"I am master… I felt it…"

Zearn shook his head, "If that were true Mason would have killed you…"

"That's just it… the girl stopped him and he listened…"

The two sith put their heads together and came up with a plan. Then they sought out the most experienced slicer in the empire.

"Can you do it?' Zearn asked to a young man.

"I can do it, but it will take time…"

"Time is something we don't have…"

The young man began working at his terminal and pulled up a file on a woman named Cawsell Ormen. "That's her…" Cy beamed.

"Okay… Attended the sith military academy of Garvoc…"

"Skip all that… is the file a fake…"

"It is heavily encrypted… Definitely a fake… Heck I don't even think she is an Imperial citizen…"

"Tell no one this!"

The two sith brought this information to Lady Dessella. "You did well to bring me this information…"

"Can we kill him now mistress…" Cy asked.

"No I want to humble him first…"

Four sith commandoes whose minds had been altered by Mason escorted Siella. They took her to a hanger where men and droids were preparing to leave after making their drop. They were employees of the Hutt and the Hutts held huge shipping contracts for the sith. When they entered the hanger Siella and her escort were ambushed by several sith soldiers. Cy lead the men and had Siella's escorts executed.

"It's nice to see you again my dear… Take her away…"

As they took her away one of the soldiers asked Cy, "Sir what about them…" He was referring to the Hutt men.

"Leave them alone…"

Mason was getting ready to shuttle to the Black Hand, when Shardell walked up to him. "Lady Dessella wants to see you in the thrown room…" Mason followed Shardell to the thrown room where Lady Dessella was waiting with Cy, Master Zearn, and several others.

"My lady you summoned me…"

She laughed, "I wanted to give you a chance to explain yourself…" with a wave of her hand two soldiers dragged Siella into the thrown room.

"I'm sorry…" She whimpered.

Mason's anger began to rise, "Don't be a fool…" Zearn warned as

several sith reached for their lightsabers.

"Let her go you are only going to get one warning…" Mason said as his eyes turned yellow.

"Impudent whelp… Kill him!" Dessella yelled.

Several lightsabers ignited at once, but Mason let out a scream and unleashed a force wave that threw several people to the ground. Dessella unleashed a force shout at Mason, but he blocked it as Siella covered her ears. Two sith charged Mason at the same time but he blocked left, spun around and killed the second man. The first tried to use force lightening, but Mason cut his hands off. Zearn ran up behind Mason and tried to stab him in the back.

"Look out!" Siella screamed.

Mason spun around him on his toes and decapitated Zearn as Cy and the remaining sith tried to rush him. Mason jumped over them towards Dessella pointing his saber forward, but she grabbed Siella and put her in the path of the blade. As he was coming down Mason switched off the lightsaber as he landed in front of Siella. He pulled her away from Dessella and force punched her in the face.

"Enough!" Kovas screamed entering the thrown room. He grabbed Mason in the force choke as Cy grabbed Siella and held his lightsaber to her throat. "You dare strike my wife!"

Mason fell to his knees, Kovas' power was unbelievable, "Please stop… Let him go…" Siella pleaded.

"My Lord!" Shardell pleaded.

He calmed a little and eased the pressure from around Mason's throat, but he still held him so that he couldn't move or use his force power. ("Dam you are strong boy…") He whispered in his mind.

Kovas listened as Shardell explained what she knew about the situation.

"Take him away…" He finally ordered.

"My love…" Dessella said speaking up.

"Be still woman you have caused enough problems…" He turned to Shardell, "Take this girl to the west wing… Make her comfortable… No one is allowed to see her without my permission…"

Shardell bowed, "Yes my lord…"

When Mason awoke, he was chained to the wall and staring into the face of High Lord Kovas. "You disappoint me… I am very disappointed in you… I had such high hopes for you…"

"Where is Siella?"

Kovas smiled and struck Mason across the face, "I am asking the questions… and If I don't like the answers…" He shocked Mason with force lightening. "Now tell me… This girl what is her real name?" Mason didn't answer, instead he spit on Kovas' boots. Kovas smiled as he slowly raised his hands and unleashed force lightening on Mason. "Now tell me… What is the girl's real name…"

In a heaving voice he replied, "Go jump down a sarlacc pit…"

Kovas shocked him again and each time he shocked him the torment lasted longer. He asked the same question over and over and each time Mason didn't reply.

"Your will is strong boy… I give you time to think about it…" Kovas left the prison hold and made his way to the west wing.

Siella was in her room pacing and in distress about Mason. The server droid tried to get her to calm down, but she wouldn't listen. The doors opened and in walked Shardell, "Leave us…"

"But my lady…"

The droid tried to speak, but she cut him off. "I know the standing order… Now leave me…" The droid reluctantly obeyed.

"What do you want?" Siella asked backing into the wall.

"The answer to one question… Do you love Mason Kell?"

"Yes with all my heart…"

Shardell walked across the room and placed her hand on Siella's stomach. She gasped in shock, "So it is true…" Shardell stepped back feeling angry, betrayed, jealous, and happy.

She fell to the bed and Siella watched her, "Do you love him?" She asked drawing Shardell out of her trance.

She looked at Siella, "I always dreamed of carrying his child…" Shardell stood up. "Listen to me… You are carrying a powerful force child so the sith won't hurt you… Tell them nothing… No matter what the high lord says… Tell him nothing…"

"What about Mason?"

"He lives for now and if you want him to stay that way say nothing…"

As Shardell left the room Siella sat on the bed considering her words. The droid entered the room and asked her a question, but the question was ignored. The door opened and in walked High Lord Kovas. They stared at each other and Kovas admired the girls' courage. He questioned her, but she never answered, even when he threatened the life of her unborn child.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7. Escape

"My Lord…" Cell said as Kovas emerged from the room.

"Have you found the droid ZR?"

"We have searched the palace and the city Master… There is no sign of the droid…"

"The droid is here apprentice… find it…" Cell was about to walk off, "Cell… Do not see my face again until you have the droid…"

"Yes Master…"

When Mason built ZR he installed the droid with an onboard holo-imager. This allowed ZR to act as a spy droid and carry out his master's plans. ZR had expressed to Mason the probability of getting caught, so droid and master came up with a back up plan. A spy probe had been reprogrammed and launched in secret. The probe would send false reports on a massive republic fleet getting ready to attack forward sith positions inside sith territory. In response Lord Kovas ordered all ships to the coordinates. As thousands of sith left the planet for battle ZR changed his disguise to look like a Sith scientist. He entered the labs and made his way to the main computer. ZR sliced into the system and uploaded pre-recorded holo-tapes of the lab. Then he pulled out a heavy repeater and killed everyone in the lab. When everyone was dead ZR locked the labs and proceeded to switch the extreme bio-hazard codes to the non bio-hazard. So when he smashed a vile of cleaning agent the computer recognized the spill as dangerous and sent the entire palace into lock down.

When Mason heard the alarms he smiled as the doors opened and Cy entered the cell with eight guards. "Call off the droid or I will kill you myself…" Mason smiled as one of the soldiers threw him his lightsaber. The one Kovas confiscated was a replica of his real lightsaber. Mason broke his cuffs and decapitated Cy, while ZR killed four of the eight guards.

'Well done ZR…" Mason said as the guard's body resolved into ZR's artificial form.

"Thank you… I am glad you aren't permanently damaged master."

"Get to the rendezvous point… I am going after Siella…"

The droid handed him a pass card, "You will need this master to override the lock down…"

Mason and ZR fought their way out of the cell block to the main level. Then they separated, Mason used force lightening on a group of sith battle droids to enter the west wing where Siella was being held.

Siella was sitting on the bed, when she heard the sound of a buzzing lightsaber and the cries of men dying. She stood up as the doors opened to Mason. They ran into each others arms, "I thought they were going to kill you…"

"I am alive…" He kissed her, "Did they hurt you?"

"No…"

"Stand back…" Mason took a deep breath and pointed his hand at the wall, a man size hole was busted into the wall, "Do you trust me?" He asked.

"Absolutely…"

"Hold on to me…"

She climbed onto his back and let out a scream as he jumped through the hole in the wall. They plummeted over a hundred feet to the river below. Mason used the force to slow their decent and he put up a force bubble so when they hit the water it didn't injure them. They swam up river six miles outside the city before they emerged.

"ZR should be waiting for us at the rendezvous point…" They started walking through the high grass southwest. "Are you tired? Do you need to rest?" Mason asked after a mile.

"No… I can keep going, but I am getting hungry…"

He reached into his belt pocket and removed a ration bar, "I am sorry that is all I have for now…" She snatched the bar from him and tore into it.

Sith Imperial Palace:

"Someone sliced the system my lord and switched the bio-hazard protocols…" A soldier said to Cell.

He was pacing back and forth, "Lock down the planet and do a search in the main computer for anymore viruses or sub-programs…"

"I will take full responsibility… Contact Lord Kovas, but wait until I have left the planet…"

"Yes my lord…"

ZR had stolen a two man snub fighter and was waiting in a cave high in the mountains. He had motion detectors placed at the base of the mountain for extra security. Footprints appeared nine feet in front of ZR with a puff of smoke. The footprints were caused by a glassy figure that resolved into Mason Kell with Siella on his back.

"It is good to see you alive master… and you mistress…"

"High ZR…" Siella said.

"Any problems?" Mason asked.

"No master… A few fighters did a fly by over the mountain, but they detected nothing…"

"This fighter won't fit all of us…"

"No problem mistress… I will remain behind and find my own way off the planet…"

Siella was appalled, "Mason we aren't going to leave him behind are we…"

Mason was about to say something but he changed his mind as he picked up on her emotions. He kissed her on the cheek, "No…"

"Master do not risk yourself on my account…"

"ZR I am going to hook your cpu up to the main computer and disassemble your body and place it in the spare parts compartment…"

"That would not be wise master…"

"True, but I am not leaving you behind so lets get started…"

Mason removed his head from his body and hooked to the main computer. Then he disassembled ZR's body and placed it in the spare parts compartment. When he was done they climbed aboard and took off.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 On The Run

Sith Imperial Palace:

Hundreds of soldiers and sith stood at attention as the palace chief steward explained to High Lord Kovas how Mason Kell escaped.

"We trained him well…" Bonm said.

"To well…" Desella said. "Now he has betrayed us…"

"There is no betrayal… He is protecting the woman he loves…" Shardell said.

Her words caused an argument and it stopped when Kovas raised his hand. "Words are meaningless… Action is what is needed…"

"My lord… Your apprentice left the planet to hunt Mason Kell down… May I suggest we wait until we here from him… Instead of wasting resources chasing this… boy!"

Dessella stepped forward, "That boy is dangerous… I have foreseen it… We must destroy him…"

Most of the sith agreed, but Bonm said. "Let's give young Kell a chance to return to the fold of the sith… It would be a waste to destroy such a gifted force user…"

"No…" Kovas said unfolding his arms, "I will send a message to my apprentice… Mason Kell must die!"

"Where are we going?" Siella asked as the snub fighter traveled through hyperspace.

"Nar Shadda… and from there we will travel to Coruscant…"

"As much as I would love to see Coruscant again… The Jedi will tare you apart…"

"Who said anything about the Jedi… I am going to make a deal with the Republic brass for sanctuary…"

Siella smiled and raised herself up from her chair and kissed him on the neck. "What if they say no…"

"As long as you are safe… after all you are a citizen of the republic…"

"If they say no then I go with you…"

Mason smiled to himself, "May I interject?" ZR's head said from the dashboard. "Master if you offer the Republic the right information such as military secrets on the sith they will accept the deal…"

"I know ZR… My main concern is Siella…" It grew quiet and Mason decided to ask a question. "So if the Republic told me to take a hike you would come with me…"

"Yes…"

"Well what if we wound up on Dantooine or Degobah…"

"If you made your home in a Sarlacc Pit I would follow…"

It was a long flight in hyperspace, especially while traveling in a long range snub-fighter. They stopped once to stretch their limbs, before continuing on and they slept while ZR guided the ship through hyperspace.

Nar Shadda:

The moon of Nal Hutta was Nar Shadda, home of the Hutts. A massive metropolis sprawled across the moon surface. Nar Shadda was where the Hutts conducted most of their illegal and legal business affairs. Now the most powerful Hutt was a boss by the name of Argok the Hutt. Argok was actually a sith enforcer of the Trayus academy. His orders were to influence the war so that Kovas' regime would lose the war. Through Darth Traya's influence the way would be made for a new Regime that would become the Brotherhood of Darkness and from the brotherhood would rise Darth Bane and his rule of two which would happen seventeen hundred years from now.

The snub fighter flew across the city landscape under cloak and landed in an alley. "Waite here…" Mason said to Siella as he unbuckled his restraints.

"I have been flying in this tub for past four weeks… I want to stretch my legs…"

"Okay, but let me put ZR back together again…"

He worked quickly and when they were done Mason sold his fighter to a Rodian for a thousand credits. Then they rented an apartment for a hundred credits.

"I am going to buy us a new ship… ZR will stay here and protect you…" Mason gave her a blaster and an anti-gravity pack. "If something goes wrong…"

"I know…" She said in aggravation. "Will you get going so that you can get back…"

Reluctantly Mason left the apartment building and made his way to Argok the Hutts private enclosure. As he walked Mason kept his senses spread out in every direction for an ambush. To his relief none came. When he arrived at the enclosure Mason was escorted to the head of the line and given an audience with Argok himself. Argok had the unique ability to hide his presence in the force and he did this so that Mason wouldn't feel his connection to the force. Mason bowed to the Hutt and told him why he was there. He went to Argok because the Hutt would give him a good deal on a ship because of the shipping contracts with the sith.

("Well done…") Darth Traya said after the deal was made. She spoke to him through his mind. ("Make sure he makes it safely to Coruscant…")

As Mason walked the streets of Nar Shadda he was confronted by several mercenaries. "Can I help you gentlemen…"

"Mason Kell of sith military… Yes you can help us by surrendering… They pay more for living targets than they do dead ones…"

"The fool who hired you left the part out about me being a sith knight…"

Mason unhooked his lightsaber and threw his left hand out unleashing a storm of force lightening ending the fight quickly. As he stood over their chard bodies another lightsaber ignited, it was wielded by Kavos' apprentice Darth Cell.

He charged Mason who arced his back swinging his blade and blocked the attack. They went into a complex melee of high and low attacks. The two sith were evenly matched when it came to lightsaber combat, but Mason was stronger in the force. Fearing more sith had located Siella he force grabbed Cell and broke every bone in his body. Mason ran all the way to his rented apartment.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that Siella was okay.

"What's wrong?" Siella asked when he hugged her trenbling.

"The high lord's apprentice was here… I fought and killed him… I was afraid he was ot alone…  
>Siella hugged him tighter, "I am fine…"<p>

As the two of them stood in the doorway hugging ZR said; "Perhaps master we should leave as soon as possible…"

"It will be several hours before we can leave and there are supplies that need to be bought…" He finally released Siella and looked at ZR, "I will remain here and I want you to secure our supplies for our journey to Coruscant…"

Three hours passed before they were ready to leave Nar Shaddaa for Coruscant. To Mason's horror a sith capital ship was in the system demanding to be allowed to search the moon for a sith traitor, but the Hutts were stalling them so that Mason Kell could escape. Mason left the system just as the sith ship was allowed to enter the system.

Coruscant, the capital planet and central system of the Galatic Republic. Phelmon Harker was the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, a human from Corellia. He was very well liked and respected among his peers and the Jedi Order. He didn't tolerate corruption in government and had a watch dog unit in place for that reason.

Because it was war time all ships coming to Coruscant was subject to inspection. After passing the inspection Mason flew his ship to the lower levels and docked in a large hangar.

"Stay here with ZR… I am going to make contact with the supreme chancellor…" Siella and Mason hugged her before he left the ship. He stopped in the main hold to give ZR some instructions before walking down the ramp.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9. Friend or Foe

His name was Admiral Dawenn Ti'sin a Falleen male and supreme commander of the Republic Fleet. Ti'sin was six and half feet tall a half foot taller than several of the Jedi Mastyers walking with him to the interrogation room used for corrupt senators. Also among the people heading towards the interrogation room in military headquarters was the director of Republic Intelligence Maven Gard.

The chancellor's office and republic military went crazy when Mason Kell a sith knight showed up unarmed on the doorsteps of the senate building. After explaining why he was there many became divided as to what to do with him. Some said execute him, while others said make the deal.

Mason sat in a chair with his hands in binders, when Admiral Dawenn entered the room with Jedi Master Gallad Fess, Jedi Master Kauntum Haas (a Tridarian and Grand Master of the Jedi Council), and Jedi Master Iris Sau a human female. "Why are you here sith…" Iris asked in an unkind voice.

"I seek sanctuary for myself and one other… In exchange I will give you information on the sith empire and where it is weak and how to defeat them in their own territory…"

They all exchanged looks and with a signal from Dawen they left the room to speak in private. "Well is he lying…" The supreme chancellor asked.

"He speaks the truth…" Gallad said.

"That may be but trust we cannot…"

Iris had her hands on her hips, "I agree with the grand master… The sith are known for their mastery of deception… He could be lying to us and we would never know…"

"Your words deceive Master Iris… I sense much anger in you over the death of your apprentice…" Iris turned away from the seasoned Jedi trying to hide her emotions under the years of training she had received.

"We are not without compassion… The Jedi order is filled with stories of Jedi who turned from the darkness… Ulic Kell Drauma for instance… and Benta Huun…"

"He must divulge everything before we make the deal…" Gard said.

"Have you all come to decision?" Mason asked when the group returned. To the displeasure of the others Gallad Fess removed the binders from Mason's wrists.

"Your lightsaber…. Where is it?" Iris asked.

Mason smiled, "Well it is hidden, because I couldn't come here armed now could I…"

"Why do you wish to defect…" Dewann asked.

"The truth is I have fallen in love… With a republic citizen… I am ashamed to say that I was the one who led the attack on Carmor… There was one survivor… a woman by the name of Siella Novel… When my superiors found out… Well you can imagine… So I fled with my lover…" Mason was reluctant to tell them about Siella being pregnant. "During our travels we married and came here for sanctuary and as I said… In exchange for sanctuary I will give you information on the sith empire…. You can use this information to turn the tide of the battle… because in the next six months the sith fleet will be at the very doorsteps of Coruscant…"

For the next five hours they all listened as Mason told them where the sith empire was vulnerable and what key systems would weaken the empire if attacked. He also gave them rotation schedules for sith fleet personnel. Then he told about their communications procedures and codes.

"There is something you are not telling us sith…" Iris was referring to something she felt about Siella, but she didn't know what.

"Yes there is something I am not telling you, but it is not ready to be revealed until we have a deal…" Mason replied with a smile.

"Make the deal…" The Chancellor said when they consulted them. The Jedi protested, but Gallad held his peace. When the deal was made Dewann, the Jedi Masters, and a small but heavily armed force took a shuttle to the lower levels to pick up Siella. When the door opened a droid greeted them but he was not ZR it was another droid that had been purchased and refurbished. ZR was somewhere else in the lower city with Mason's lighsaber.

The droid handed over all the weapons including a fake lightsaber that had been recently built by Mason as a decoy. When the Jedi was introduced to Siella they gasped at the powerful life force growing in her womb. Mason and Siella where taken to a private suit in the ambassador's palace. They were given a very plush suit to live. A security force of over a hundred men was posted in the halls along with eight very skilled Jedi. As part of the deal the fake ZR was taken for a memory download.

"We made it…" Siella beamed.

"Yes we made it… You are safe…"

She cupped his face as they sat in the living room on a couch, "We are safe…"

"I will never be safe… Unless I join the ranks of the Jedi…"

She smiled and kissed him, "Did you see the way the woman Iris was staring at me…"

"They will press us for our child…"

Siella sat up with a look of worry on her face, "We are not going to give our son to the jedi…"

Mason smiled, "They would have to kill me… No they didn't learn of your pregnancy until they saw you face to face… They will press us on the matter…"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10. Confessions Of A Sith

Siella and Mason were given a large suit on the one hundredth floor of the emissary building after being granted sanctuary. A guard of fifty soldiers was posted in the hallway and no one was allowed on the floor without clearance from the head of republic intelligence. The Jedi insisted that four members of the order be allowed to guard with the republic soldiers.

Siella hummed to herself as she folded some clothes. Mason watched her with a smile on his face. She looked up and noticed him watching her, "What…"

"Nothing… Everything… You are sooo beautiful… I am a lucky man…"

She smiled, "You mean the force is with us…"

"That is a Jedi belief… The sith believe that we make our own destiny…"

"Then you are still a sith…"

He stood up, "We have company…" Mason went to the door and standing in the hall was Jedi Master Gallad Fess. "I have been expecting you…"

"Good Morning Lady Siella…"

"Good morning to you master jedi…"

Gallad turned his attention to Mason. "The Jedi Council wishes an audience with you…"

The two of them said nothing as they rode an air speeder to the Jedi Temple. As Gallad escorted Mason through the temple many of the Jedi stopped to look at the infamous Mason Kell being allowed to walk the halls of the Jedi academy.

"Nervous?" Gallad asked as they made their way to the main turbolifts.

"Should I be?"

Gallad smiled, "No… I want to help if I can…"

"Why you trying to convince me to join the order of Jedi…"

"No… I want to be your friend…"

Mason stopped in the hallway, "I don't need any friends… All I need is my wife and unborn son…"

"Well the offer is open if you want it…" Gallad replied as they continued walking.

"A renowned Sith in the empire once told me that you struggled with the dark side…"

Gallad laughed, "His name wouldn't happen to be Kaz would it…"

Mason looked at him, "So it is true…"

"More or less we crossed blades on many occasions… Is the old coot still alive?"

"He became one with the force… I was the last person to see him alive…"

They exited the lift and walked up the hallway towards the Jedi Council Chambers. The doors opened to a large spacious room where twelve of the most prominent members of the Jedi Order sat in a circle. "Mason Kell may I introduce Grand Master Jedi Kauntum Haas… Master Oti… Masters… Hark… Iris… Uri Lau Sac… Wern Mosa… Master Pholben… Corthen Horn… Namen Voles… Jarra Cox… Nemo Hult…"  
>"Welcome young Mason you honor us with your presence…"<br>He grunted, "I'm sure… So if you masters want to discuss Lord Kovas… Then I will tell you all I can… If you think you can convince me to hand over my son to you when he is born… forget it…"  
>The Masters exchanged glances, "Fine then… Tell us of Emperor Kovas and the sith empire…" Iris said.<br>"Is it true what they say about his sword?" Horn asked.  
>"Yes he wields the sword of Ajunta Pall…"<br>"The sword what is made of…" Master Hark asked.  
>"I don't know, but it seems to amplify his power…"<br>"Then the legends are true…" Grand Master Haas said.  
>"What legends?"<br>"A legendary metal called Coresinite…" Gallad said answering, "…It is very rare… rarer than Cortosis… The legends say that it can amplify the force powers of anyone who uses it… The Jedi have never found any samples of it…"  
>"Can you tell us his plans and about those that serve him…" Haas asked. They listened for the next hour about Kovas' most trusted advisors and the top raking members of the sith. Then he told where the sith academies were.<br>"Your Jedi Council is an interesting group… Are they always that stuffy?" Mason asked as he Gallad rode the turbo-lift to the main lobby of the temple. Mason stopped walking when Gallad burst into laughter in a booming voice. Over the next few days Gallad and Mason became something close to being friends. Mason Tolerated the Jedi Master more than anyone else. Gallad didn't have a hidden agenda, it was pure friendship he offered.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11. The Republic Strikes Back

Because of the information given to them by Mason Kell the Republic began an aggressive counteroffensive against the sith empire. Under the joint command of Admiral Dewann Ti'san and Jedi Master Baven Starc they were ale to launch coordinated attacks against sith Imperial targets.

The first attack was against the sith mining world of Apatros. Republic capital ships bomb the small planet into submission and landed a sizable force on the surface to hold the planet. The sith responded immediately. It cost Dewann over half his strike force, but they were able to annex the planet.  
>The next target was the sith droid factories orbiting the planet Geonosis. The Geonosians had been invaded by the sith and forced them to build droid factories in orbit around the planet. Master Starc commanded this battle, he ordered his fighters and blockade runners to attack the station defenses. Then he sent in his capital ships and blew the station factory apart.<br>Dewann and Starc assembled a fleet and attacked the sith fleet. The space battle lasted four hours and then the Sith retreated. Two days later the Sith counterattacked, but the Republic was ready and waiting. It was a well layed trap and Kovas almost died in the battle. With three major victories the tide of the war started to change.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12. The Wrath of Lord Kovas 

Kovas Lord of the sith and Emperor of the Sith Empire was furious. The Republic had struck five times and three they crossed into Sith territory and destroyed sith factories. He stood before the gathered Sith both high and low ranking members who were serving on the front lines.  
>"FOOLS! INCOMPETANT FOOLS… How could you allow this to happen…"<br>"We allowed this to happen… You forget yourself high lord…" A Sith named Iro said.  
>"Are you challenging me…" He asked looking at the Iridonian.<br>"Yes… But do not use the sword of Ajunta Pal… Fight me with a regular lightsaber…"  
>Kovas caressed the sword at his waist, he raised his hand and grabbed Iro by the neck in the force. "Break the hold fool if you can…"<br>"Milord please we should not be fighting amongst ourselves that is how the ancient sith failed..." Bonm said, but Iro was killed anyway.  
>"Anyone else…" Kovas asked looking at the gathered sith, "…Now we will make a massive counter attack against the Republic. We shall attack Belbringi at full force and hold the planet… Assemble the fleet…" <p>

At Kovas' orders the fleet assembled around the sith thrown world of Vash. They flew to the edge of the system and made the jump to hyperspace. The battle of Belbringi was costly to both sides, but the sith was victorious mainly because of Kovas' battle meditation. After the system was taken Kovas ordered the public execution of over one hundred thousand Republic citizens which outraged the Republic.

"Now that I have your attention Chancellor… I want the traitor turned over to us… Mason Kell and the woman with him… or I shall execute more Republic citizens… I don't care how many sith it cost me to keep this planet... You have one hour then another ten thousand die…" Before he could say anything the transmission was cut.  
>"You handled that very well my love…" Dessela said.<br>"Yes well not it is time for you to leave…" He said touching her swollen stomach.

An hour later a droid was sent in to see Lord Kovas, "Milord… Your wife's ship has been taken by the Jedi… Everyone on board was killed and she was taken hostage… A message was left on the ship computer…" The droid was destroyed with force lightening. 

"Now Emperor Kovas you will withdraw your ships from Belbringi or I will have your executed…"  
>"The Jedi will never sanction that…"<br>"You are right… That is why the Jedi turned her over to us… Unconscious of course… You have one hour…" When the chancellor cut off the transmission Kovas shook the ship in his rage.  
>Kovas had his ships and troops removed, then the Chancellor had Dessela placed on a starship with a droid pilot and they were sent back to Sith space. Kovas hugged his wife and promised her the Jedi and the Republic would pay for their treachery. Before he left Belbringi Kovas had his troops place large canisters of bio-agent. He killed everyone on Belbringi.<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13. A New Life

The Republic had decided not to turn Mason and his wife over to the sith empire. For the first time in his life Mason was at peace, his wife was about to give birth to their son and he was starting to accept Gallad Fess as a friend, mainly because he wasn't trying to convince him to join the Jedi order or talk him into handing over his unborn son.  
>At first Gallad would visit them everyday, but that decreased to twice a week. "How would like to practice lightsaber techniques at the Jedi temple…" Gallad asked.<br>"I don't…"  
>Gallad raised his hand, "You will have complete privacy…"<br>It took several weeks to convince Mason it wasn't some type of ploy to get him to join the Jedi. As Gallad promised Mason had complete privacy especially since the Masters didn't want him corrupting the other students. Gallad gave Mason a practice lightsaber and he sat on the side as Mason stood at the ready. He had insisted on all the safe guards being removed from the droids, so when they attacked him, there was the possibility he would be killed or injured severely.  
>The droids attacked first, but Mason spun into the droid on his left cutting it in half to give himself an opening. The droids he fought were armed with lightsabers. He exchanged blows with three droids as a forth tried to flank him from behind. Mason rolled to his back raising his sword over his head and stabbed the droid. As he stood Mason went into a spin slicing another droid in two. As a forth droid attacked from behind Mason leapt backwards decapitating the droid. As he stood with one foot on the droid and his sword raised high the other droids backed away.<br>When they attacked the droids attacked in turns coordinating their attacks, but no matter what they threw at him the droids couldn't overwhelm Mason. When the attack was over Mason stood holding his pose then he switched off the lightsaber and tossed it to Gallad.  
>"That was a good fight, but what took you so long?"<br>Mason smiled, "Very funny…" They left the temple ad when they did four Republic guards escorted them back to Mason's apartment. "Hey would you like to stay for dinner?"  
>"Certainly…"<p>

Siella served Nerf stake with tubors and squash, "Master Gallad… what has been happening on the front?"  
>"Well the sith attacked and unleashed a bio-weapon on Belbringi…" Mason shifted in his seat.<br>Siella gasped, "How horrible… Are you going to return to the frontlines…"  
>"I would like to, but the force is telling me that I am needed on Coruscant…" Mason just smiled. <p>

After dinner the two men stood on the balcony looking out over the city landscape. "Thank you…" Mason said.  
>"For what?"<br>"For being my friend and not someone trying to take my child from me and my wife…"  
>"No problem…"<br>"I have a question…"  
>"Go ahead and ask…"<br>Mason climbed up and sat on the railing, "You Jedi believe that the force is alive… and that it guides our actions…"  
>Gallad nodded, "Yes…"<br>"The sith believe that force is a weapon to be used to rule the weak… Before I left the Empire someone told me that my destiny is tied to you and Siella… and well here I am… a traitor to the empire living in the republic… I did what I did to survive and protect the woman I love… A Jedi might say that force lead me to do what I did… So what do you believe…"  
>Gallad hunched his shoulders, "You don't believe what I do about the force… So you did what you did to survive… The force guided you… but one could say that it was a mixture of both…"<br>"Someone told me that you had a brush with the dark side…"  
>Gallad smiled, "I did… and I fought for the empire for awhile… My master was killed by a sith and out of anger I lost my way… Then my superior ordered me to slay some prisoners… I refused and killed him… I rescued the prisoners and returned to the Jedi…"<br>"So considering what you believe about the force… one might say that you have no will of your own…"  
>"I have a will of my own… the force obeys my commands and at the same I listen for its will…"<p>

Mason thought about his words, but he still held to his sith based convictions about the force. The force was meant to be used, it was a tool to make ones desires and dreams come true. He would never accept the beliefs of the Jedi blindly, but he would give them great consideration.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14. Friendship

Over the next three months Mason and Gallad became the best of friends and soon they started sparring with each other. Mason became a sharper edged weapon that the sith try to make him, while Gallad learned some new lightsaber moves. The Jedi Council disapproved because Gallad wasn't trying to sway the young sith from the dark side. He told them that he understood Mason better than they did and that their destinies were intertwined.  
>Siella was also apart of that friendship as well and had a desire to attend the opera. They were special guests of the Supreme Chancellor and sat in his private suit to watch the opera. Of course six Republic soldiers had to be on hand, because death threats had been issued at Mason because of his old ties to the sith. A padawan had leaked the information to the media and many people were demanding that Mason be made an example of.<br>The director of Republic intelligence wanted to move Mason, but he refused stating that he could protect his wife better on Coruscant. Every week Gallad would have dinner with Mason and Siella who was now seven months pregnant and her child beemed in the force like a light beacon in the mists.  
>Siella was happy as well with her husband and new life she was living. The pain of loosing her family was still there, but it was a little easier with love she had for Mason and their unborn child. She could see the change in Mason, no longer was he the moody emotional man she met over eight months ago. The anger and hate was still there under the surface, but his role as her husband, his friendship with Gallad and the expectation of their unborn son seemed to diminish all that. Sometimes Siella would speak to Gallad about this and he would smile and make small compliments about it. ("He is hiding something…") Mason thought to himself.<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15. Heartache

Darth Cell as he called himself traveled the galaxy looking for the one person who could help him kill Mason Kell and return the pregnant Siella to the Sith Empire. He was a Dark Jedi named Syress Gat. Syress had killed his master and two other Jedi during a mission. Now he was on the Jedi's most wanted list. Cell found him in Anchorhead on Tattooine.  
>His hand dropped to his lightsaber, "Can I help you… Sith…"<br>"My name is Darth Cell…"  
>"Is that suppose to mean something to me? I have no wish to join the ranks of the sith…"<br>"No I am not here recruiting… I have a job that pays one million credits…"  
>He downed his drink, "I'm listening…"<br>"There is a traitor living on Coruscant by the name of Mason Kell…"  
>"The job is going to cost you two million…"<br>"What!"  
>"I wasn't born in the Unknown Regions… I know who Mason Kell is… The black hand of the sith… They say he is the deadliest sword in the galaxy… that kind of job will cost you two million…"<br>Cell smiled, "We have a deal…"

Getting to Coruscant was easy, gaining access was the hard part. All ships coming to Coruscant had to be scanned for sith spies so Syress had to pretend to be a private shipping contractor. When he made planet side he immediately flew towards the lower levels of the city. He made his way through the lower level streets to the Sarlacc Pit cantina. The pit was the most dangerous place on Coruscant. The cantina was filled with mercenaries, pirates, smugglers, bounty hunters, gang members, and assassins.  
>No one knew who owned the cantina as it was run by droids. The entertainment ranged from human and alien slave girls to a live band everyday. The cantina was open for business twenty-four hours. The Jedi didn't go in the place because of the Ysalamari all over the place that created a negative zone where the force couldn't exist.<br>"I am looking for the baker's dozen…" He said to the droid bartender.  
>The droid pointed to a dark booth where thirteen rough looking beings were sitting eating and drinking. A large burly Tradosian was groping an unwilling Twi'lek slave.<br>"Gentlemen may I buy your next round…" Everyone at the table pointed a blaster at him. Syress took out his lightsaber and slammed it on the table.  
>"You got a large pair Jedi…" A male Twi'lek said.<br>"Even a Jedi cut off from the force would still be a dangerous foe… and I am no Jedi… I prefer the darker side of the force…"  
>The Tradosian bellowed a laugh and waved his hand, in response they put up their weapons. "What can we do for you fallen Jedi…" His basic was slurred and guttural.<br>"I need help with a job… High target profile… I heard the dozen was the baddest in the galaxy…"  
><em>"You heard correct…" <em>The Wookie said bellowing a growl.  
>"What is the target…" An Umbaran asked.<br>"The Sith traitor… Mason Kell…"  
>"I like it…" A human man said, "…I say we do it…"<br>"How much does the job pay?" The Trandosian asked.  
>"Two million… your cut is one million to divide among the thirteen of you…"<br>"Riko… Get us a layout of the building… Ferris you are on weapons… Kono…" Kono was a Chiss, "You will plan the mission… We will meet in three hours Jedi at the Twin Moons hotel…"

Three hours later they were in a room on the ninth floor making plans using the holo-floor plans of the state building. "Security is a beast…" The Chiss said. "The floors above and below are filled with Republic soldiers and battle droids… The floor with the sith traitor is closed off and the hallway is filled with soldiers not to mention the two Jedi on duty…" The diagram of the building switched to the exterior and the adjacent buildings. "Each of these buildings have snipers on the roofs anti-fighter guns… so the best plan of attack will be to hit the main lobby and draw their attention… Then neutralize the snipers and their weapons and hit the suit from the air…"  
>The Trandosian ran his hand over the hologram, "What about here…" It switched to a diagram of the sewers beneath the building. "…We fight our way up."<br>"Then we run the risk of being trapped and they have already lined the tunnels with shields and auto-sentries… We would be sitting ducks…"  
>"Then we hit it from the air…" Syress said.<br>After the final touches were made they moved into position for the attack. The next morning Gallad was on his way to Mason's suit when an explosion tore apart the lobby. He stood up as an old Mandelorian battle droid ran into the lobby firing a heavy repeater. Gallad ignited his lightsaber as he stood up and started deflecting blaster bolts.  
>As the battle unfolded Syress and three members of the dozen took out the snipers on the roofs using jet packs so that it would be harder for them to get a shot off. They disabled the shields on the windows and smashed through the window.<br>"Get the girl… he is mine!"  
>Syress ignited his lightsaber and charged Mason who hurled bolts of force lightening at him. Syress caught the bolts with his lightsaber. He walked towards Syress pressing his attack then he swept Syres' feet from under him. he broke his arm and took his lightsaber.<br>"Surrender! Or she dies…" The Trandosian ordered holding Siella by the throat. His blade was ripped from his hand and Mason threw him out the window.  
>"You bastard!" The man screamed firing his blaster at Siella.<br>"Noooo!" Mason Screamed.  
>"You fool…" Syress said grabbing snatching the blaster from the man, "She was to be taken alive…" He said blasting the man in the head.<br>Mason ran and knelt beside Siella who had a hole in her stomach. "No… No… No…" Syress was about to take Mason but he heard the Republic troops at the door. He ran to the window and summoned his lightsaber which now lay at Mason's side.  
>Gallad entered the room with several Republic soldiers, "By the force!"<br>Tears streamed down Mason's face and when he raised his head to the ceiling yelling, the planet shook from his emotional outburst.

"I am sorry my friend I have done all that I could…" Gallad said to Mason two hours later. They were in the holding cells beneath the Jedi Temple. His rage could be felt by every Jedi on the planet. "I will try my best to find Syress Gat…" Mason hadn't said a word since Siella died.  
>As Gallad walked away Mason raised his head his eyes were a burning yellow. "I am sorry to my friend… the sith and I have unfinished business…"<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16. Dark Rage

ZR had been hiding in the under-city ever since Mason arrived on Coruscant. When his master was taken to the temple he received a distress signal from Mason. ZR left his apartment and when he reached the upper levels of the city ZR disguised himself as a Jedi Master and made his way to the temple.

"And I say he is too dangerous… We can't keep him here… You felt what he did when his woman and their unborn child died…" Iris was speaking.  
>"It is not just a simple matter of letting him go… He may rejoin the sith or worse… Create another sith regime to fight the empire…"<br>Gallad was in the chambers standing by the door listening. "There is something you all haven't considered… Mason wants revenge and he will most likely blame the sith… Release him and let him destroy them…"  
>"That is not the Jedi way… and I am offended you would even say such a thing Master Gallad…"<br>Before Gallad could reply to Wern Mosa the alarms went off, "What is happening?"  
>"Master Wern it's the sith… He is escaping…"<p>

Mason walked side by side with ZR through the first level sewer system. "I am glad the Jedi didn't kill you master…"  
>"Is the ship ready?"<br>"Yes of course master… and I am sorry you lost lady Siella… I rather liked her… Master your lightsaber…"  
>Mason just grunted as he walked, a volcano waiting to erupt, because he had to keep his emotions in check. He didn't even get to bury his wife because of the Jedi Masters. He would be angry at them, but he heard Gallad arguing with the masters on the subject. ('Gallad you are a good friend and I hope your reputation isn't tainted because of me…")<br>They left the upper sewers and went into the lower city where a ship was hidden. They left Coruscant being chased by seven Jedi fighters. Mason made the jump to hyperspace before they could stop him. Mason's ship came out of hyperspace four weeks later in the Y'Tube sector. He was heading for Nar Shadda to find Syress and the rest of the baker's dozen. He walked up the street with his robe billowing and half his face obscured by the hood. He made his way to the Roundhouse Cantina and grabbed the two bouncers in the force and slammed them into the ground.  
>When Mason entered the cantina he raised his hands and unleashed a lightening storm into the bar killing hundreds of people. The dozen came out of a private room shooting, but Mason deflected the blaster bolts with his saber and his hand. He grabbed the battle droid and crushed it as he cut the wookie in half at the waist. The human tried to attack him with a vibro-axe, but Mason spun into him and cut the head off the axe, then he decapitated the man.<br>The only one who was left was a Zabrak, "The man who hired you… where is he?" He stabbed his lightsaber into his shoulder. "The man who hired you…"  
>"A human… a fallen Jedi named… Syress…" He responded between clinched teeth. Mason raised his foot and brought it down on his head.<p>

The doors were ripped of the track and the guards went to their knees, choked by the force as Mason entered Argok the Hutts' enclave. He threw a bag of credit chits down at Argok, "I need information on a man by the name of Syress… He is a fallen Jedi gone rogue…"  
>Argok laughed, <em>"You are very bold boy to burst into my hideout… I shall get your information you must wait…"<em> Mson waited with ZR by his side nd his arms folded. An hour later a human whispered to Argok. _"The man Syress is on the planet Bespin… Cloud city…"_

Mason reached Bespin three weeks later and gained entrance to the city by telling the space port authorities that he was a private buyer for his client on Nar Shaddaa. When he gained entrance to the city Mason ordered ZR to keep the ship in the air and pick him up after Syress was dead.  
>As Mason walked up the second level street he could sense Syress. When he came around the corner Syress was waiting with his lightsaber drawn and ignited. "I wasn't trying to kill you or your woman… When you killed the Trandosian that man shot your woman…"<br>"Who payed you to come after me?"  
>"Lord Kovas' apprentice…"<br>Mason smiled, "Good now you can die…" Mason ignited his blade and charged Syress who charged him as well, both men had their blades out to the sides and when they passed each other they swung and stopped behind one another. Mason smiled as Syress grunted and fell to the ground dead.

Korriban:

"Why are you here?" The Master of the Academy asked.  
>Cell had come to Korriban to hide from his master's wrath and from Mason Kell. "I am here to choose an apprentice for myself…" Many powerful skilled masters lived at the academy and today Lord Bonm the Tusken Raider was there as well<p>

Two guards stood at the main entrance and when the saw puffs of dust as if someone was walking towards them they raised their guns. "Who goes there? Show yourself!" The guard on the right demanded. He howled in pain as and invisible energy blade impaled him and threw him to the ground. The second guard was force checked to death. Several students and guards were thrown to the ground when Mason blew open the entrance with a force wave. He filled the lobby with force lightening killing dozens of humans and aliens.  
>With his lightsaber ignited Mason entered the main lobby of the sith academy with his robe billowing. He was charged by several students and masters. Mason severed the sword hand of the first student then he blocked an attack with that sword and disemboweled the man he faced. He spun blocking with his left and stabbed a Rodian with his right blade. Mason was a seasoned warrior who fought on the front lines and he cut down every apprentice who came at him. The masters hung back studying Mason's moves looking for a weakness, but Mason was no fool and he used simple moves to end his opponents quickly.<br>Over twenty apprentices lay dead on the floor not including the ones who died in the explosion or the ones who died in Mason's lightening storm. The eight masters ignited their lightsabers at the same time, one was arm with a lightwhip another, two with double edge, and two were armed with dual lightsabers. The eight masters surrounded Mason from all sides, he raised his blade high above his head and set his feet. He spun to the left attacking first to set the tone of the battle. He attacked one of the double edge masters and when she blocked he pushe her lightsaber up and to the side to block an attack from another sith. Mason clipped his foot and decapitated him. Then he unleashed a force wave that threw the masters of their feet.  
>Mason threw his lightsaber pinning the Twi'lek to the wall, he summoned his lightsaber to his hand just in time to cut the legs off another. He rolled across the sith on the floor and started fighting the sith armed with the lightwhip. He ducked under the swing, then stepped to the side on the second attack. As the whip was coming down Mason stuck his blade in the path allowing the energy charged coil to wrap around his blade once, then he redirected it slashing the left hand of the other dual saber master. He summoned the master's left blade with hand still attached and stabbed the master wielding the whip in the head.<p>

The remaining masters backed away to coordinate their attacks against Mason, but he didn't give them a chance as he dove for the other master with the double edge. The master switched off his left side and spun around hoping to catch Mason in the back. Mason raised his saber with both hands up and back to block the attack. He dropped to the ground sticking his legs out and clipped the master then Mason twisted the top half of his body as he lay on his back and stabbed him in the back. Mason jumped to his feet from his back and leaned backwards as a blade came at him. He wrapped his arm around the neck of the attacker and broke it. Mason threw the dead master on another and impaled them both at the same time.  
>Mason stood breathing hard allowing his rage and anger to give him strength. The death and carnage he created added to his power as well. He stood alone in a pile of bodies. The memory of Siella's dead body flashed in his mind and he roared shaking the planet in his rage.<p>

Cell had made it to the hanger, but he was trapped because there was something or someone outside shooting down any ships that tried to leave the hanger. The unmistakable sound of force lightening filled his ears and Cell spun around to find Mason in the main entrance way killing anyone in his path. He hid behind a large shuttle and waited. The shuttle was lifted off its landing struts and tossed aside like a piece of paper. Cell watched in horror as Mason walked across the hangar towards him, but then Bonm the sith Tusken Raider landed in front of him.

"I have always admired you young one, I know you lost your woman… If it were me I would have allowed you to keep her, but you betrayed the sith…"  
>"The sith betrayed me… and because of her I intend to bath in the blood of the sith until I drown or they die…"<br>"Then prepare yourself to die…"  
>Bonm was a war veteran as well and he had never been defeated in combat. Both warriors raised their blades for the ready and they stared each other down sizing each other and visually attacking each other before either actually made a move. Bonm shifted his weight every five seconds from to foot to foot, first the right then the left. Mason slid his right foot forward and the melee began.<br>Bonm spun into Mason swinging his blade, but he ducked under it extending his left hand unleashing force lightening at pointblank range. Bonm caught his hand and pushed directing the lightening at a ship, Bonm tried to sever the hand, but Mason yanked his hand free and did a side ways no handed cartwheel kicking Bonm in the face. Bonm spun around swept Mason's feet from under him just as he landed. He stabbed down but Mason rolled to the side and stuck his hand out using the force to push Bonm. The Tusken left his feet and was slammed into the side of a star fighter. When he hit the floor Bonm grabbed the fighter in the force and threw it at Mason.  
>Mason redirected it and slung it out the main exit of the hanger. He charged Bonm who was just getting to his feet and the two continued their deadly brawl through the hanger. As Mason backed Bonm to a side door it opened and they fought their down the hallway that led to the downstairs arena. Bonm kicked Mason in the chest, but Mason did a back flip landing on his feet. Bonm unleashed a force wave that collapsed the hallway.<br>Mason stood sneering at the rubble blocking his path and Cell thought he could sneak up behind him in force cloak, but Mason spun around and threw force lightening back down the hallway, Cell flickered in and out of visual sight. Mason grabbed him in the force and choked him to death, the he returned his attention back to the rubble.

Bonm could feel that Mason wasn't dead so he waited, but he didn't have to wait long. The rubble sparked and glowed from force lightening, then there was a rumbling sound and the rubble was thrown at Bonm who used his lightsaber and the force to deflect it. Mason stood with three large chunks of rubble floating around him. all three chunks were electrified. He hurled the first at Bonm, who raised his hand and threw it into the wall. Mason sent the next two at the same time Bonm was able to catch one, but not the other and it exploded in front of him.  
>bonm dragged himself to the training simulator and activated the training droids. He used the force to remove the safe guards and when the droids attacked Mason received a scratch on the arm and face, in frustration he unleashed a fore wave in all directions destroying them. Bonm was worn out, but Mason's strength seemed unlimited as attacked him again. Mason grabbed Bonm by the throat after disarming the Tusken and plunged his saber into his gut.<p>

News of what happened on Korriban spread across the sith empire like wildfire despite all efforts to quell the news. Four weeks later Mason attacked the academy on Dathimor and killed over two hundred sith and fifty Nightsisters. Then Mason made his way to Miraluka aboard a stolen Sith warship. After killing everyone on board he slammed the ship into the academy killing over sixty percent of the people on the inside. Then Mason and ZR went looking for Dessella.

Dessella was on the Chiss home world trying to convince the Chiss government to fight for and with the sith. "The Emperor won't budge…" Dessella said to Kovas via sith holo-net, "…My love perhaps we should consider an invasion of Coruscant… We have the hyperspace lanes to the planet…" She had already had her baby two months ago.  
>"Yes and those lanes are crawling with gravitic-mines… We'd loose over half the fleet before we got through…" His image started breaking up, "…Per …e …ink on …thi…"<br>"What's happening?"  
>"Some sort of interference milady we are checking it out…"<p>

"Dessela!" When Mason screamed her name Dessela looked at her apprentice and fellow sith. They ran from the upstairs lounge to the walkway and found Mason Kell standing in the living room of the ambassador suit on the first floor looking up at Dessela and the five sith with her. He pointed his unlit saber at her, "You and I have unfinished business bitch! And when your dead I show Kovas your severed head… Then I will kill him…"  
>"You were a fool to come here boy… Now you die! Kiro!"<br>Kiro flipped from the second level down to the first floor igniting his lightsaber. He charged Mason, who ignited his weapon and in one move he disarmed Kiro who had a look of shock on his face as he was stabbed in the gut. Mason raised him into the air and threw his lifeless body into the fountain.  
>"TEAR THAT LITTLE SCHUTTA APART!"<br>Three of the remaining sith ran down the stairs towards Mason who flipped over the sith in the middle and when he landed he stabbed the sith in the back. He blocked the attack from the right and spun around disemboweling the sith on the left. He spun around again and after three moves he kicked the last the other sith into the fountain and shocked the water with lightening.  
>"So Dessella… is there anyone else you want to send to their death before we fight…"<br>"All this for that girl…"  
>"She was my wife and she was carrying my child… I am going to kill you… I'm gonna cut off your head and show it to Kovas… Then I am going to kill him and finally your child… I want you to die knowing that…"<br>Dessella smiled as the screams got louder and over one hundred sith soldiers burst into the lounge armed with blasters, heavy repeaters, vibro-axes, blades, and swords. There were also four sith lords among the soldiers.  
>Mason smiled, "You should have brought more… I will be done with them in a sec…" He ignited his lightsaber and raised it above his head. Mason slid his foot in an arc in front of him and touched every soldier in the room with his mind.<br>"KILL MASON KELL!" Dessella screamed.  
>A soldier fired both of his blasters, but Mason deflected one shot left and the other right killing two soldiers. He backed flip as another soldier armed with a vibro-axe attacked from behind, but as Mason was coming down he stuck his feet out and kicked the man into the nine soldiers rushing forward. When he landed on his back Mason stabbed the soldier to the left and rolled to the side stabbing someone else. Mason twisted around on the floor and electrified the man he had just killed then he threw the armored man on another group of soldiers.<br>When Mason got to his feet two soldiers charged him from the front and back. The one in the front was firing a blaster while the one in the back charged him with a vibro-sword. Mason jumped up, flipped and landed on the shoulders of the man behind him, while deflecting blaster fire from the man charging him. Mason created illusions of himself and made the soldiers start fighting amongst themselves. He summoned a vibro-blade off the floor and hurled it at the soldier in front of him, then he sliced off half the face of the man whose soldiers he stood on.  
>When Mason landed he was confronted by two Sith lords who threw force lightening at him. Mason threw his lightsaber into the ceiling and caught the currents of lightening with his hands. The two sith ended their attack and ignited their lightsabers. Mason was still holding the electrical charge in his hands, so he made a thunder clap and knocked most of the people in the room to floor. One of the sith lords charged him and Mason side stepped his thrust and grabbed the sith's arm breaking it. Then he killed the sith with his own lightsaber. By now the other sith had recovered and Mason cut off both his arms and then he decapitated the woman.<br>The soldiers were regrouping to attack him, as one soldier threw a vibro-axe at Mason's back. He spun around catching the axe and threw it back into the mans head. One of the two remaining sith leapt at Mason with his saber pointed out, but Mason dropped to his back under the attack and stuck his foot up catching the sith in the gut. He took the Weequay's own saber and cut his head off.  
>When Mason got to his feet he was confronted by another soldier with a vibro-sword. he went down on his back again and grabbed the sword from him with his feet and plunged the weapon into the chest of the soldier behind him. he jumped to his feet and slashed the man across the face. That is when several soldiers rushed forward. Mason jumped into the air dove into a flip and landed on the other side of the room.<br>After all the fighting and killing he did there were under forty-five soldiers left. He summoned his saber to his hand off the ceiling as the sith converged on him.  
>"Getting tired?" Dessella asked.<br>"Far from it… why don't you join them… they may have a better chance… Though I doubt it…" Dessella sneered because her vision was coming true. She left the upstairs walkway and made her way to the roof garden. "You can run but I will find you…" Mason smiled at the remaining soldiers and unleashed force lightening om them killing them all. He walked through the carnage and leapt to the second level and from there to the roof.  
>"You are quit the warrior…" Dessella said as Mason walked onto the roof garden.<br>"I have a lot more people to kill so can we get on with it…"  
>They both stood in the center of the garden facing each other, the sun was going down fast and the night stars started to come out. They ignited their lightsabers at the same time and charged one another. They spun and danced around each twisting as they struck at each. Dessella jumped and twisted, while Mason rolled to the ground and they separated. Mason had cut her on the face and she had cut him on the upper arm. They both yelled and began again swinging left and right, they parried each other, then Mason's sword found its mark and he took her arm off. Dessella fell to her knees breathing hard. Mason looked down on her and placed his red blade next to her neck.<br>"Hurts doesn't it bitch… The same coldness you see in my eyes will be the same look when I end your worthless baby and the fool you call a husband…" She spit on Mason and he raised his sword and took her head.

Sith Flagship The Reaver:

"My lord I have contacted the Chiss government they are sending a security team to your wife's suit as we speak…" Lord Tuvad said. A great fear came over Kovas and he fell to his knees, "My lord are you alright…"  
>"What was the last known location of Mason Kell…"<br>"He was reported on Kashyyyk milord…" An officer said.  
>"Prepare to go to lightspeed and set course for the Chiss home world…"<br>"Milord incoming message from Chiss it is your wife's personal transmitter…"  
>Kovas' heart sank even more when Mason Kell's image appeared on the bridge. "Traitor!" Lord Tuvad said.<br>"Ah lord Kovas… I have something for you…" Mason pulled his hand from behind his back and in it being held by the hair was Dessella's severed head. Kovas roared and leapt at the hologram, he passed right through and hit the floor.  
>"I have killed this bitch and all her bodyguards… If you want me I await you on Chiss… Come alone or bring your army… It doesn't matter, but here I wait… If you are man enough… If you are the true lord of the sith… Come and get me! I defy you!" The transmission ended and he was gone.<br>"COM contact the Chiss government and tell them to detain that little piss ant…"  
>"Belay that order…" Kovas said standing up, "Signal all ships in the fleet to converge on the Csilla system…"<br>"My lord no!"  
>Kovas sneered and grabbed Tuvad in the force and choked him to death. "Obey my orders or I will slaughter you all… and find me Shardell…" <p>

The entire sith fleet went to lightspeed, twenty-one days later they came out of hyperspace on the Chiss system. Warships from all over the empire converged on the planet of Csilla. They immediately began bombarding the planet from orbit, while the Chiss tried to scramble their defenses. Kovas was onboard his flagship searching for Mason via the force. in the beginning it was a slaughter as hundreds of thousands of Chiss died in the bombardments, but the Chiss were finally able to mount a counter offensive. Other Chiss warships answered the call to their home world and what began as a sneak attack turned into a battle as both sith and Chiss ships arrived in the system.

Mason Kell stood on the surface of the moon in a space suite smiling as the battle unfolded. He stood by a large bolder he had pulled up with his power. "Welcome to Csilla Lord Kovas…" Mason walked around the huge bolder that was one hundred three meters in circumference. He grabbed it in the force and hurled it at the flagship after ionizing it with lightening. When the rock hit it electrified the ship disabling most of the major systems and tore through the back quarter of the ship. Mason raised his hands and directed the ship towards the moon.

Republic Fleet: 

The Republic fleet came out of hyperspace as the sith flagship went plowing towards the moon. Gallad Fess stood on the bridge in awe, ("Dam that boy is strong in the force…")  
>"Sir your orders…" The General asked.<br>"COM get me Chiss space command…" Gallad said after clearing his throat.  
>"This is High Commander Cphor'Tuka…"<br>"High Commander I am Jedi Master Gallad Fess on behalf of the Republic we would like to coordinate with your military and drive the sith from your system…"  
>"We would appreciate the help Master Jedi…" <p>

The lights flickered on and off on the bridge of the Reaver, Kovas stood up and looked around. Over half the bridge crew was dead, "You get some type of communications going send a transmission and give our coordinates for a rescue…"  
>"Yes sir right away…"<br>The door to the bridge was sliced open and three sith masters entered the bridge and surrounded Kovas. Shardell was among them, "I sense Mason milord…"  
>"So do I…"<br>"Sir the Republic is here they are helping the Chiss… Lord Xearo is requesting that you use your battle meditation…"  
>Kovas was about to respond when the bridge was filled with a metal grating sound. Sparks started to fly as the bridge was ripped away to open space. Several men were pulled into space, but Shardell was able to activate the shields and restore gravity. As everyone recovered Mason walked across the threshold of the field and removed his space suit.<br>"Very clever boy… your hatred has made you powerful, but foolish… Now you shall feel my hatred…"  
>Two of the sith masters charged Mason, but he grabbed them in the force and choked them to death. Shardell just stared at him dumbfounded, because Mason was far more powerful than the last time she saw him.<br>"Foolish girl…" Kovas said, he grabbed her in the force and threw her aside.  
>"Are you ready to join your wife fool…"<br>Kovas screamed unsheathing the sword of Ajunta Pall, like a lightsaber the blade sprouted from the hilt, but the blade was all metal and curved with red veins running along it. Mason dove to the side and the blade went through the metal beam without stopping and it the floor with a clang. When Mason recovered Kovas was right on him, he blocked the attack, but the blow shook his entire being and caused his blade to fluctuate. Kovas was fast, faster than Mason thought possible, it seemed as if the blade was guiding Kovas not the other way around. Kovas found an opening and slashed Mason across the upper arm, he howled and back flipped, but Kovas was right on him. They landed at the same time and when Mason swung Kovas grabbed his sword hand. Mason grabbed Kovas' sword hand and they sneered at each. Kovas broke the standoff by head butting Mason and to him it felt like a he had been hit by a hammer. Mason fell to his back and Kovas swatted his saber from his hand and that is when Mason unleashed force lightening as he stood over him. The sword glowed cherry red, but the hilt remained untouched by the lightening and it seemed as if the blade was feeding on his attack. Mason ended the attack ad kicked Kovas in between his legs, but all he did was grunt and grab Mason by the neck.  
>He hoisted Mason into the air and laughed at him, "Fool boy I am a true sith lord… The greatest of the sith lords… I wield the sword of Ajunta Pall… Now Die…" Mason screamed as Kovas slowly stabbed Mason in the shoulder. He pushed the blade all the way through until he reached the handle.<br>"My lord look out!" Shardell screamed, but it was two late. Gallad's lightsaber severed his arm and Gallad himself used the force to pull Mason away from Kovas. Shardell extended her hand and yanked the blade from Mason's shoulder as he was dragged away.

"It is not your time my friend…" Gallad said to Mason who was unconscious. Gallad climbed aboard his shuttle and ordered the pilot to take off.

"My lord…" Shardell said helping the emperor up.  
>He held his hand out for his sword and reluctantly she handed it over to Kovas, then he struck her across the face. "Hesitate like that again and I shall end you myself…"<br>Several sith soldiers entered the bridge, "Milord we have a shuttle ready to take you to the Hiss… It is serving as the command ship…"

The Hiss: 

"Status!"  
>"My lord we are outnumbered and out gunned… We should withdraw…"<br>"My battle mediation…"  
>"Gallad Fess is using his battle meditation as well…"<br>Kovas sneered and started walking for the turbo lift, "Order the retreat…"

The Chiss had lost over 1,097,517 people in the attack and over seventy starships, three hundred fighters, and over a thousand personal ships of citizens. The Chiss Ascendency wanted vengeance so they vowed to help the Republic plan an invasion of the sith empire.

Author Notes:

I have always imagined a Kill Bill type fight scene in the house of blue leaves only with lightsabers and the force so that is what I was trying to do with the fight in the embassy suit I hope you like this story so far and I would appreciate your reviews


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 18. Enlightenment

Mason awoke to find himself in a medical center aboard a medical freighter called the Heart Star. He sat up to find Gallad Fess at the side of his bed. "Welcome back to the land of the living…"  
>"Where am I… How long have I been out?"<br>"You are on board the Heart Star… We are fifty parsecs inside the sith empire… Kovas made a mistake attacking the Chiss… they are on the offensive and asked the Republic to stage a major offensive…"  
>"I must go…"<br>"You time to heal my friend… Both mentally and physically…" Mason lay back down his mind was full of rage and the thoughts of his dead wife and unborn child. "They will live on the force…"  
>"The force!" Mason sat back up, "I have lost everything because of the force… The force be damned… The Jedi and the sith can take a flying leap into a black hole…"<br>"All those people you killed will not bring your wife and unborn child back…"  
>"It will bring me justice…"<br>"If you want true justice fight to protect others from what you have experienced… not for your personal vengeance…"  
>"You will never know what it means to love someone and watch them die…"<br>"I know all to well…" Gallad sighed, "Once I fell in love with a fellow Jedi… Her name was Irdeah… Very strong charismatic Jedi… We both knew that we could never be together in the Jedi… So we ran away and after a few misadventures we got mixed up with the sith… I didn't want to join, but she did… Many months later she lead me into a trap and tried to kill me… Her masters told her that in order to reach her true potential she had to kill that what she loved the most… We fought, but I was always stronger than her… I had to kill her… She lay dead before me and that is when I saw the dark side for what it truly was… I returned to Coruscant and the Jedi took me back… I pledged myself to stopping the sith…"  
>Mason lay back down, "I am hungry…" He coldly said, Gallad wanted to say something else but he didn't and summoned the med droid.<p>

Two days later the Republic/Chiss fleet was on the sith world of Geonosis preparing to retake Onderon. "Can I speak with you?" Mason asked as Gallad sat alone in a droid control room  
>"Certainly…"<br>"I… uh… I wanted to say thank you… for rescuing me from Kovas… If not for you I would be dead…"  
>Gallad smiled, "I consider a friend and I both admire and respect you…"<br>"I also wanted to ask… Well if someone like me can change and be a Jedi…"  
>Gallad smiled, "Of course… We can start right away if you wish…"<br>"I would like that…"  
>Gallad stood up and placed his hand on Mason's shoulder. "I am honored to show you the ways of the Jedi… It won't be easy, but if you are true to the path… Then yes you can be a true Jedi…" <p>

The next day Gallad and Mason took a long range ship to return to Coruscant. "The Jedi code is the very foundation of what we believe and live by… It states that There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force… Another aspect of the code is that Jedi would always be ready to accept defeat if the cost of winning was greater than the cost of losing. Jedi are taught that it was always best to end things peacefully than to win or lose without honor… or if the cost is the loss of self…"  
>Mason grunted, "The sith aren't taught to win at any cost… A victory without purpose is no victory…"<br>"I wasn't comparing the teachings of the sith to the Jedi…"  
>"I am sorry…"<br>Gallad smiled, "That is enough for today…"  
>Mason was upset with himself for the way he reacted, "So does this mean I have to start calling you master?" They laughed together.<br>"No… only if you want to…"

When they reached Coruscant Gallad was summoned by the Jedi Council. "This sith… this Mason Kell has caused much death and destruction…" Haas said.  
>"He caused these deaths among the sith master… We should be greatful he didn't rejoin them…"<br>Iris jumped up, "Two wrongs don't make a right!"  
>"Peace Master Iris…" Haas said.<br>"What does the council want… Mason was angry… He responded the way anyone who was taught the ways of the sith would ad who are we to judge… It may give you all peace to know that Mason has asked me to train him as a Jedi and I have said yes…"  
>Iris was still standing, "You teach our ways to this boy without our consent… I have heard enough!" Iris left the council chambers without saying another word.<br>"I shall speak with her…" Master Uri Lau Sac said.  
>"You may train Mason, but if he betrays us Master Gallad we will hold you fully responsible…" Haas said, "May the force be with you…"<p>

Mason had to wear the traditional light brown robes of a padawan to live in the temple. Many of the other Jedi avoided him, but a few curious Jedi wanted to meet the former sith and were very courteous to him. He learned the code, Mason learned to meditate and fight in the Jedi style and he was finally able to let go of his anger concerning his parents, Siella, and their unborn child. As the weeks became months, Mason's strength in the force seemed to be without bounds. He had rejected many techniques, but he still held on to his camouflage ability and force illusion techniques.

"I must return to the frontlines the Republic/Chiss forces have suffered a great loss in battle…"

"I am coming with you…but first I need a new lightsaber…" Mason said, his old saber was lost on the bridge of the Reaver.  
>"I can get you all the parts you need…"<br>Mason smiled, "Actually I need access to the restricted archives…" Gallad frowned, "Do not worry my friend I have no intention of betraying you… but Kovas wields the sword of Ajunta Pall… I would like to build a similar weapon…"  
>"I can't…"<br>Mason stopped him, "My friend and I do consider you a friend… I am no fool let me make my request to the Jedi council…" Reluctantly Gallad brought Mason before the Jedi Council, he bowed. "Honored members of the council thank you for seeing me… As you know the Republic/Chiss forces have suffered a great loss to the sith… The sith cannot be defeated so long as Kovas lives and he wields the sword of Ajunta Pall… No lightsaber in existence can stand before this weapon, but I have an idea… One of you must bring me the knowledge of Sith Alchemy from the restricted archives… then I will be able to create a similar weapon…"  
>The council members looked at each other, "Tell me Mason Kell… Do you believe us fools…" Iris asked.<br>"No that is why I asked one of you to get the information… I know none of you trust me, but I speak the truth when I say my intentions are true…"  
>"This weapon is made of Coronite a very rare metal… rarer than Cortosis…"<br>He sighed, "What if I said I know where a secret stash of pure Coronite is…"  
>"I would say you are a lier…" Iris replied.<br>"Perhaps we should give him a chance… We all know the legend of Ajunta Pall's sword… and I happen to agree with Mason… The only way to defeat Lord Kovas is to have weapon of equal power…"  
>Haas raised his hand and stopped Iris from speaking, "We need to discuss this privately before we decide…"<br>Gallad bowed, "We await your decision masters…"

"What do you think they will say…" Mason asked.  
>"I do not know…"<br>Mason went to the balcony, "As long as Kovas has Ajunta Pall's sword he is unbeatable... You fought him... without that sword you and he are equals in the force... and I am stronger than the both of you..."  
>"How many swords are planning to make..." Gallad asked coming to his side.<br>"We only need one..." Mason looked at Gallad, "And you should wield it..."  
>Gallad smirked, "Why not you..."<br>"I think the council will accept the idea more... so if they say no then there is a slight chance they will change their minds..."  
>Their air was filled with buzzing sound that came from the wings of Grand Master Haas. "Come with me..." He lead them through the temple to the garden of serenity. "The council is split on what to do... Many of them do not trust you young Mason, but as Grand Master I have decided to allow you to make the weapon... but it must be wielded by Gallad Fess..."<br>Mason smiled, "Actually master I was just telling Gallad that he should wield the weapon..."  
>Gallad cleared his throat, "If I am to wield this weapon..." He unhooked his lightsaber, "Then please borrow mine..."<p>

It took four days for Mason to learn the sith alchemy techniques, then he and Gallad had to travel to the deep core for the Coronite metal. They traveled aboard Gallad's ship the Three Sixty, he called it that because he was jedi who fell to the dark side and returned to the orderof the Jedi.  
>"How do you know about this Coronite deposit anyway?" Gallad asked as they dropped out of hyperspace to search for the next hyperspace lane into the deep core.<br>"Well while I was unconscious I received a vision of the force... In it I saw how to defeat Kovas..."  
>The gravitational forces of the deep core were always shifting and fluctuating so traveling through hyperspace was dangerous and if one was not careful a star ship could be ripped apart or flung to another part of the galaxy. Only the Jedi and Sith dared to traverse the core, the planet they were searching for had once been apart of Darth Addendu's empire. The planet was red and had a dense atmosphere that made breathing difficult, because of the crystals that lined the planet's surface it reflected red but during an eclipse the planet was blue. It had a rocky terrain and no ocean. There were lots of ruins spread across the planet and the moon was inhabited by a primitive alien race.<br>"This planet isn't in the galactic database..." Gallad said checking the star maps.  
>"Most planets in the deep core were erased by the sith from record... they like their secrets..."<br>They set the ship down in the northern sector of the planet near and old mine. "We aren't going in there are we?" Gallad asked through his breath mask.  
>"No the Coronite cache is buried in the old processing center..."<br>They entered the old derelict building and to Gallad's surprise there were no traps. The sith were famous for booby trapping their tombs and caches. They used glow lights to search the building, the raw ore was buried beneath a droid mineral collector.  
>"Perhaps we should forge the weapon here..." Mason said, "It will save time..."<br>"I am sorry we cannot allow this..." Iris said, she was standing behind them with five well renowned Jedi.  
>"Master Iris... What are you doing here?"<br>"To stop you Gallad from making a big mistake... This sith has blinded you..."  
>"No you are blind Iris... Blinded by your hatred..."<br>"Look I am just trying to help..."  
>"Silence you sith scum..." Another Jedi said.<br>"Master Gallad step away from Mason... We will kill him..."  
>"I am sorry he is my friend and I will not allow you to harm him..."<br>"Then you have betrayed the order..."

"You betray the order... remember Master Haas has given his permission..."  
>One of the other Jedi a Noghri ignited his dual lightsabers, "Enough talk... Kill the sith... Kill Mason Kell..." He leapt at them, but Gallad grabbed the Jedi in the force and slammed him into the forge simulator. He lay on the ground moaning and Gallad summoned both his lightsabers to his hands. "Don't do this... I don't want to fight you, but I will if I must..."<br>"You have made your choice and we have made ours..." Iris said, "Kill them both..."

Iris and two Jedi attacked Mason who was fighting with Gallad's lightsaber. "Wound them don't kill..." Gallad yelled.  
>Mason grunted and rolled to his back as the Klantooine tried to catch him from behind. He caught his hand severed his arm and bashed him in the back of the head knocking him unconscious. He was then tackled by the human Jedi to the ground, but with one glance Mason sent the man flying towards ceiling. He struck his back and before he hit the floor Mason severed both his legs.<br>"Now you face me!" Iris said, she was armed with a double bladed lightsaber with blue blade at one end and a green at the other. Gallad had wounded the other two Jedi and stood watching, "Need a hand?"  
>"Funny.." Mason said twisting and turning against Iris who was an astonishing fighter. He cut the center of her blade but she still kept coming at him. Mason went down and clipped her legs, but she quickly rolled away and got to her feet. She charged Mason again and she was able to wrench his saber from his hand. She stabbed forward, but Mason side stepped the attack and broke her arm. He kicked her in the gut and bashed her in the back of the head.<br>Mason was breathing heavy, "She could give Kovas a run for his money..." He said summoning Gallad's lightsaber.  
>"She ought to be she was my weapon's master before I became a Jedi Knight..."<br>He smiled, "We should immobilize them and contact the Jedi Council..."

To immobilize them Mason and Gallad had to break their minds and make them believe that had been stripped of the force. They healed their wounds with bacta salve and the force, then they contacted the Jedi Council and explained what happened. The council agreed to exile all six Jedi and instructed Gallad and Mason to leave them there.  
>Mason got busy forging the sword, first they built a forge from the old equipment left behind then they melted the metal with the force and to their surprise the metal contained no impurities. They poured the metal into the smelter and added the charcoal for the smelting process to provide the carbon that turns it into steel. Then both Mason and Gallad used the force to shape the metal into a weapon. The blade had to be forged separately from the hilt and then the blade had to be made so that it could fold into the hilt. They allowed the pieces to cool and while it cooled they ate. When the metal was cooled they reheated it this time using both the force and the heat of the smelter. Then they began to assemble the weapon and three hours later they had a blade similar to Ajunta Pall's but not as dark and menacing.<br>"You ae making a mistake…" Iris said as they left them all the food from both ships.  
>"No… you made the mistake coming here and attacking us… The council has condemned the six of you to this planet… may the force be with you…" <p>

Hiss sith flag ship:

Shardell had been summoned to the thrown room and when she arrived Kovas was alone. "You summoned me milord…"  
>"Yes…" He snapped his finger and a droid came in carrying his infant son. "I feel the end may near… Cassalla often foretold of the end of my empire… I didn't believe after so many victories… At any rate I want you to take my son and keep him safe… The future of the sith rests with you and him…"<br>"What shall I do? Where shall I go?"  
>"Find a hole and get in it… The sith shall rise again…" Shardell took the baby and left the throne room. <p>


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 19. Champions Of Justice

Mason and Gallad decided to return to the front lines and help the Republic/Chiss armada fight the sith. The Republic/Chiss fleet was on Kashyyk and Admiral Krimau a Cathar was in command of the Republic forces because Admiral Dawenn Ti'sin died in the last battle. Both he and High Commander Cphor'Tuka were at odds on their next move.  
>"Master Gallad welcome back… Perhaps you can talk some sense into my colleague here… I think we should attack the sith ship yards on Raxus Prime… He wants to attack Terroth…"<br>"Terroth is the more sensible place the Terrothians are being used to create battle droids…" Mason said.  
>"Well sith no one asked you…"<br>"Mason is right though Admiral we hit the Terrothians and drive the sith from the system then they will have to shift their forces around for the entire empire… Then we hit the ship yards and so on…"

Terroth was under Sith jurisdiction and the people were allowed to govern themselves so long as they continued to build war droids for the sith. The planet had three moons and multi-climate atmosphere. ZR was already on the planet disabling the planetary defenses. He had been on his own ever since the battle of Csilla.  
>The RepublicChiss fleet came out of hyperspace and destroyed the two sith blockade ships. The allied forces plowed their way towards the planet and landed their troops on the surface. They bombarded the factories with ion missiles and bombs. The attack lasted for eight hours and when it was over the sith in the system had been completely defeated. Both the Admiral and High commander decided to place Gallad Fess and Mason Kell in joint command of the fleet after that.

Raxus Prime:

Raxus Prime was a ship graveyard, but it was often referred to as the droid's grave yard. The entire planet was one big scrap heap and where most governments came to get metal melt it down and forge something else. At the moment the sith controlled the planet. Both Gallad and Mason came to the planet to sabotage the orbital shipyards, then the fleet would move in and mop up the ground forces and remaining space forces.  
>"You haven't used that sword since we forged it…" Mason said in the disguise of Sith commando.<br>He smiled, 'There is only one person I need to use it on and that is Emperor Kovas…"  
>Mason had given Gallad his saber back and was using the Klantooine's violet lightsaber. The two of them were already on the orbital shipyard heading towards the main control station. They had planned to cripple all the ships in dock by activating and overloading the emergency sever lasers. The lasers were used to cut the docking locks if there was a malfunction. When they exited the turbo lift to the command deck they were greeted by dozens of sith soldiers and four sith masters.<br>"Mason Kell… I no longer sense the dark side in you traitor… You truly have fallen…"  
>"Master Viax… Tell me what did Kovas promise you fight on the front lines…"<br>"Enough talk surrender!" Another sith yelled.  
>Both Mason and Gallad unleashed a force wave on them all, with their combined might they killed most of the soldiers. They ignited their lightsabers and carved a bloody path through the sith masters and the soldiers.<br>"The mission has been compromised we need to abort…" Gallad said.  
>Mason grabbed his arm, "No we will can still do this… we blow up the station ourselves…"<br>"Crazy, but I like it…" 

As Gallad's ship was flying away from the shipyard it exploded. When they rejoined the Republic/Chiss fleet it was engaged in a deadly space battle with the sith. Gallad managed to reach the flagship nd begin using his battle meditation while Mason lead assault teams to board key command ships. As the hours dragged on the sith began to loose the battle and a retreat was called.

"The longer this war drags on the more time the sith will have to recuperate…" Mason said three hours later.  
>"Then what do you suggest…" The High Commander asked.<br>"We attack the sith throne world of Vash our target is the emperor himself…"  
>"You want us to commit the entire fleet to an impregnable world just for one man…"<br>Mason sneered, "It can be done…" He turned to Gallad, "We will need all the Jedi you can summon…"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19. Champions Of Justice

Mason and Gallad decided to return to the front lines and help the Republic/Chiss armada fight the sith. The Republic/Chiss fleet was on Kashyyk and Admiral Krimau a Cathar was in command of the Republic forces because Admiral Dawenn Ti'sin died in the last battle. Both he and High Commander Cphor'Tuka were at odds on their next move.  
>"Master Gallad welcome back… Perhaps you can talk some sense into my colleague here… I think we should attack the sith ship yards on Raxus Prime… He wants to attack Terroth…"<br>"Terroth is the more sensible place the Terrothians are being used to create battle droids…" Mason said.  
>"Well sith no one asked you…"<br>"Mason is right though Admiral we hit the Terrothians and drive the sith from the system then they will have to shift their forces around for the entire empire… Then we hit the ship yards and so on…"

Terroth was under Sith jurisdiction and the people were allowed to govern themselves so long as they continued to build war droids for the sith. The planet had three moons and multi-climate atmosphere. ZR was already on the planet disabling the planetary defenses. He had been on his own ever since the battle of Csilla.  
>The RepublicChiss fleet came out of hyperspace and destroyed the two sith blockade ships. The allied forces plowed their way towards the planet and landed their troops on the surface. They bombarded the factories with ion missiles and bombs. The attack lasted for eight hours and when it was over the sith in the system had been completely defeated. Both the Admiral and High commander decided to place Gallad Fess and Mason Kell in joint command of the fleet after that.

Raxus Prime:

Raxus Prime was a ship graveyard, but it was often referred to as the droid's grave yard. The entire planet was one big scrap heap and where most governments came to get metal melt it down and forge something else. At the moment the sith controlled the planet. Both Gallad and Mason came to the planet to sabotage the orbital shipyards, then the fleet would move in and mop up the ground forces and remaining space forces.  
>"You haven't used that sword since we forged it…" Mason said in the disguise of Sith commando.<br>He smiled, 'There is only one person I need to use it on and that is Emperor Kovas…"  
>Mason had given Gallad his saber back and was using the Klantooine's violet lightsaber. The two of them were already on the orbital shipyard heading towards the main control station. They had planned to cripple all the ships in dock by activating and overloading the emergency sever lasers. The lasers were used to cut the docking locks if there was a malfunction. When they exited the turbo lift to the command deck they were greeted by dozens of sith soldiers and four sith masters.<br>"Mason Kell… I no longer sense the dark side in you traitor… You truly have fallen…"  
>"Master Viax… Tell me what did Kovas promise you fight on the front lines…"<br>"Enough talk surrender!" Another sith yelled.  
>Both Mason and Gallad unleashed a force wave on them all, with their combined might they killed most of the soldiers. They ignited their lightsabers and carved a bloody path through the sith masters and the soldiers.<br>"The mission has been compromised we need to abort…" Gallad said.  
>Mason grabbed his arm, "No we will can still do this… we blow up the station ourselves…"<br>"Crazy, but I like it…" 

As Gallad's ship was flying away from the shipyard it exploded. When they rejoined the Republic/Chiss fleet it was engaged in a deadly space battle with the sith. Gallad managed to reach the flagship nd begin using his battle meditation while Mason lead assault teams to board key command ships. As the hours dragged on the sith began to loose the battle and a retreat was called.

"The longer this war drags on the more time the sith will have to recuperate…" Mason said three hours later.  
>"Then what do you suggest…" The High Commander asked.<br>"We attack the sith throne world of Vash our target is the emperor himself…"  
>"You want us to commit the entire fleet to an impregnable world just for one man…"<br>Mason sneered, "It can be done…" He turned to Gallad, "We will need all the Jedi you can summon…"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 21. Jedi Master Mason Kell

The war was over and the Republic immediately began rebuilding the affected planets. The Chiss returned to their home world of Csilla to rebuild the planet. Mason returned to Coruscant with Gallad and was welcomed by the entire Jedi order who was standing outside the temple to greet them. They received an ovation from the Jedi when they exited the shuttle.  
>Mason went before the high council where Gallad was made a member of the high council. Mason was given the rank of Jedi Master and asked to sit on the council as well. He refused the seat on the council, but accepted the title of Jedi Master. He didn't say anything, but something was calling to him. Mason didn't tell Gallad, but he was heading for the Unknown Regions.<p>

There was a small star system in the Unknown regions protected by an artificial electromagnetic field and an asteroid field. The system had only two planets and the inhabited one was where Mason went. There was an Academy on the surface of the planet called Trayus and it was here that Mason Kell learned the truth of his origins and where he came from.


	21. Chapter 21

Epilogue:

The Brotherhood of Darkness

Shardell, Iris and the ex-Jedi built a mighty armada in the deep core then they returned to the outer rim with Darth Sarad as their leader. When Sarad was overthrown the new sith broke into several smaller factions that began fighting amongst themselves over the remnants of the sith empire. The Jedi watched them but remained out of the conflict because at the moment the sith were fighting amongst themselves. Things continued this way for the next twelve hundred years and then the era of Lord Kaan and the brotherhood of Darkness.  
>A Force-sensitive Human from Coruscant born during the Republic Dark Age, Skere Kaan was born a commoner before being discovered by the Jedi Order and training in the ways of the Force at the Jedi Temple. Sophisticated and knowledgeable of economic policy and fleet command, Kaan became a Jedi Knight and a beacon for hope among members of the Jedi High Council who hoped to finally destroy the reformed Sith Empire which had been plaguing the Galactic Republic for nearly two centuries.<br>Having perfected the art of battle meditation, Jedi Kaan was considered a valuable asset by the High Council, despite his radical belief that the Republic and the Jedi were responsible for the anarchy which plagued the galaxy. In an effort to moderate Kaan's extremist views, the High Council awarded him the title of Jedi Master. Seeing the High Council as overbearing, Kaan led a group of loyal Knights away from Coruscant and formed the Brotherhood of Darkness in 1,010 BBY. Declaring himself Dark Lord of the Sith, his supporters referred to him as the "Dark One."  
>At the time of Kaan's ascent, the New Sith Empire had fractured, with dozens of Sith Lords claiming the title of Dark Lord and waging endless campaigns against each other, rather than uniting to bring down the ailing Republic. Sensing that their endless quest for supremacy and power would destroy the Sith, Kaan set about reuniting the various splinter states under his banner,[8][3] destroying all those who refused to bend the knee. The two most powerful Sith warlords—Kopecz and Qordis—pledged themselves to his cause, and they were followed by others, such as Kas'im, LaTor and Kaox Krul. Still unwilling to see what was growing to become an even worse threat, the Jedi High Council issued congratulatory thanks to Kaan for killing the worst of the Sith warlords during his campaign to amass power. However, Kaan had not been able to lull all Jedi into a state of ignorance; indeed Jedi Lord Hoth saw Kaan for the threat he was and left Coruscant to gather his own forces.<br>His idea of cooperation and equality among the Sith Lords was unique in their history. Rather than challenge each of the self-proclaimed "Dark Lords" and threaten the war effort, Kaan acquiesced to their vanity, and named them all "Dark Lord of the Sith", and declared "_All are equal in the Brotherhood of Darkness._" But he forbade any Sith to take the historic title of _Darth_, since he held that title as being solely responsible for the jealousy and infighting that had destroyed the Sith in the past.  
>With his charisma and power, the Sith struck back at the Republic and the Jedi Order. However, the Republic and the Order were not without their defenders. Having seen Kaan for what he truly was, Lord Hoth of the Jedi Order rallied the banners of the Jedi Grand Council and formed the Army of Light through the support of all standing Jedi Lords. Once amassed, Hoth led his armies on a hunt for Sith, a decade-long war that would see great casualties on both sides.[1] Although the conflict was widely regarded as an all-out war, the Republic claimed that it was simply fighting a series of engagements against an illegal organization.<br>Despite Hoth's best efforts, a startling early victory at the Battle of Korriban enabled the Sith to retake their ancestral homeworld. Kaan authorized the reopening of the Sith Academy there, and placed Qordis in charge to begin training the next generation of warriors. The reinvigorated Sith pushed the Jedi back, winning great victories against the Army of Light. Kaan proved to be a brilliant strategist, and an excellent tactician, capable of winning victory after victory against the Jedi forces; all the while putting his charisma to good use by luring many Jedi to serve him. While Kaan was a charismatic and skilled general, his rule was more fragile than it seemed, a weakness that would be exploited as the war ground on. As long as the victories continued, however, the Sith would remain united behind him. But it would not last when Bane came to power and introduced the rule of two.


End file.
